


you’re ripped at every edge but you’re a masterpiece

by leafykeith



Series: Tae Kyung has entered the chatroom. [1]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Blind V (Mystic Messenger), Dogs, F/M, IT'S GAY, M/M, Male MC, SPOILERS OK, Swearing, Unknown (Mystic Messenger) Spoilers, a lot of swearing, and a lot more references, anyway this is trash, because of jaehee, but heterosexual too, but i was like, do you need more convincing???, homestuck references all over the place, how about something else, i have other works, i talk about exo a couple times, i wanted more male mc, i'll get everyone eventually, im just fandom trash, just read the summary thanks, obviously, references in general, super gay, the other relationships will happen later dw, there are dogs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2018-11-28 22:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11427486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafykeith/pseuds/leafykeith
Summary: Min Tae Kyung is not the male MC we needed or wanted, but he is the one I am throwing out into the world.He is an MC that will absolutely not stand for what the RFA puts canon MC through, but he will help them just as much as he can.Finally, a memeful, flirty MC who has a life outside of the RFA and will literally not shut up about how stressed he is.I promise it's better than it sounds. Join me on this adventure where the notes are 10k words and Tae has become a living being to me.





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Min Tae Kyung has entered the chatroom.
> 
> Tae Kyung: oh no,,, my mother warned me about this... i've become the main character of an anime

Min Tae Kyung was always the type of person that was stared at. Ever since he was a child, he knew that there would always be eyes on him. He had always preferred wearing his sister's pretty dresses while she had favored her dress pants. While his sister remained stoic and logical, he insisted on playing with his mom's makeup, giggling over the eyeliner that was drawn on him. He had a penchant for the lipsticks that his mother painted on his sister, while she sat patiently for their father's lessons over the politics in society.

  
His sister had been born first, older than him by four years. While it was normally traditional for the first born male to be the heir to the family company, but his parents had never been the type to care about gender roles. His sister had rightfully earned the company. Tae Kyung didn't really want it, either. He liked watching his sister learn more about business.

  
She could take the company and the titles. He would not ever contest it. He loved his sister and would not take away what she loved. He didn't even want to.

  
He would stick to learning how to make a perfect winged eyeliner.

 

 

Tae Kyung visited his sister in her fancy office as often as he could, batting his lashes at the employees who gave him strange looks. He wore floral shirts and tight jeans, trying to keep the unconventional to a minimum.  
  
  
All his sister did was roll her eyes as she watched him toy with her employees.  
  
  
"Get in here, Tae. Stop messing around." He pouted at her, but gave in and entered her office. She ruffled his hair as he walked past her, making him groan.  
  
  
"Noona, why would you do that?" She laughed at him and made her way back to her chair, gesturing to sit.  
  
  
"What do you want, Tae?"  
  
  
He lowered his head and glanced up at her from under his lashes.  
  
  
"Do I need to want something in order to visit my favorite Noona?" She raised an eyebrow at him.  
  
  
"Your only Noona, Tae. Who do we need to sue?" She leaned forward over her desk and narrowed her eyes.  
  
  
"I'm just nervous about the dinner next month. I don't want to be the cause of us missing out on a huge contract because people don't approve of how lenient Father is towards us." His sister stood and stared down at him.  
  
  
"Min Tae Kyung! You should know better by now that we don't care what other people think. Especially not our parents. If they thought you were a liability, then we wouldn't let you come to the meetings. Besides, if our potential partners don't like you, then they aren't the type of people we want to be in business with. Don't worry, Tae." He felt better after talking to his sister. He always did.  
  
  
He slouched as she sat back down, satisfied with her brother's response.  
  
  
"I wish I had a purpose in my life, you know? You have this whole company to manage and our parents are happy with seeing us happy. But... I don't have anything exciting. You know what I did yesterday? I spent 7 hours watching makeup tutorials." His sister gave him a look and rolled her eyes.  
  
  
"What a tragic life you have, Tae."  
  
  
"Shut up. You know what I mean. I need some adventure in my life! Right now, if my life were a spice, it would be flour."  
  
  
"Then get out there and seize the day! There's nothing stopping you." He groaned.  
  
  
"I should go. Finding a way to seize the day probably takes more planning than the way it's seen in media." His sister laughed, but waved him out of her office, picking up her phone as her assistant rushed into the room.

 

 

Turns out being adventurous and spontaneous took up too much time and traveling, so he opted to just scroll through the applications available. He downloaded random games that would probably be deleted within the next few days. He noticed a couple messenger apps, giggling to himself as he planned on trolling them. Being so excellent with makeup brushes led him to be able to confuse people, a hobby that he had yet to be tired of. As he searched through his social media, one of his friends sent him a link to strange apps.  
  
  
  
_check it, no one knows what this messenger app is about. its impossible to hack into >.< trust me, ya boy tried. all we get is a static screen. maybe u can?_

Tae Kyung snorted and downloaded the app anyway. As he waited for the app to finish installing, he checked the time. Almost midnight.

Some adventure he was having. He checked his phone and set up a profile on the app, wondering where the static screen would appear. When it came to setting a picture, he snickered to himself as he chose one that he had taken on a really good makeup day. He would make such a pretty girl. At least his sister already acknowledged that he was the prettier sister. In the picture, it was slightly blurry in the background, so a person who didn't know it was him couldn't really identify his gender, just admire his makeup skills. The app hadn't explicitly requested any permissions, which he found slightly concerning. He decided to ignore the weird feeling and looked around the app. There was only a search and chat area. How boring. He threw his phone on his bed as he made his way to the bathroom, ready to remove his makeup and get ready for bed.  
  
  
  
_Perfect. She looks naive enough_.  
  
  
  
There was a vibration from Tae Kyung's phone as he was brushing his teeth. He frowned and unlocked it.  
  
  
  
And there it was. Adventure. Wrapped up in a strange app and texts from Unknown. After going to see this person's place and telling them about the phone, he planned to get away for a week or two. Just around the neighboring cities. He wanted to find some kind of purpose.  
  
  
  
His parents cared for him a great deal, so convincing them to let him leave the house at midnight with no solid excuse was quite difficult. He had to ask his sister to cover for him, promising to be her slave during her assistant's next vacation. His parents were hesitant, as any parent should be. He had turned eighteen a couple months prior, so they were still protective of their son. He was very delicate in their eyes, prone to breaking easily. He loved his parents just as much as any son could, but he knew it was time to figure himself out. He was tired of being seen as overly sensitive. He wanted to be sure of what he was looking for in life before he asked his parents to support his dreams.  
  
  
He found the address easily, but hesitated, wondering if he was wearing the right outfit. Trolling people was an art form, one that relied on great makeup and convincing disguises. He took the most feminine of his clothes and packed as much makeup as he could. He had been working on special effects, so having them ready would help him in most situations. As he packed, he realized that he was actually quite nervous. It wasn't every day that something like this happened. He tried to only take a backpack and his wallet, but included his laptop and all the chargers he would need. Just having his card would be enough to let him buy more resources if he really needed them.

 

And so, his adventure began. He opted out of taking a taxi, preferring to walk there. He looked around at the city he had known all his life, but saw it in a different light. It was time for him to start living. Even if this was just dropping off information about the lost phone, he was still ready to explore after. Besides, he didn't know how long it would take and making a driver wait for him would mean a heftier fee on the card than what was needed. Not that he really had to worry about money, but the less concern his parents had, the better.

Saying a temporary goodbye to his house, he left.

 

It wasn't a particularly difficult journey, but he had the feeling of being followed.

_Don't get all paranoid now. It's too late to go running home._

 

The apartment  _was_ in a pretty safe part of town, but it was still a sketchy situation. The texts kept him entertained while he reached the place to return the phone.  _Unknown_ was slightly awkward and didn't understand some of the jokes he made, but hey that was fine. 

When Tae Kyung arrived, he asked once more if it was really okay to be there. He grew less convinced of this as the conversation continued, a feeling of unease starting to creep up again.

 

_**Tae Kyung** : i don't feel good about this anymore. can't you just wait until you come back?_

_**Unknown** : Don't give up now. You've made it this far. _

_**Tae Kyung** : fine i guess :/_

_**Unknown** : You're doing a good deed! Cheer up!_

_**Tae Kyung** : the door's open_

_**Unknown** : Good. Why don't you go inside?_

_**Tae Kyung** : i can think of at least 20 reasons why i shouldn't, but ig i'll be that person in the movie that dies first. i s2g, unknown, i better have a good person playing my role in the adaptations._

_**Unknown** : You'll have the best. Scout's honor. _

_**Tae Kyung** : john laurens did not die for this_

_ > fine, i'm going in. _

_ > you owe me _

_**Unknown** : Th _

_ > ank _

_ > you..._

 

_**Tae Kyung** has entered the chatroom. _

There was no other way to say it. The group chat was lit.

The talk about nepotism versus recruitment tingled his business senses, and he decided to respond, wanting to make his sister proud.

 

_**ZEN** : What's the difference between nepotism and recruitment?_

_**707** : Thought they r the same? o_o?_

_**Tae Kyung** : Well, not exactly. Nepotism is the practice among those with power or influence of favoring relatives or friends, especially by giving them jobs. Recruitment... is fairly self-explanatory. If the potential employee has no real skills yet is friends with the employer, then definitely nepotism. If there's talent there, then no harm was done, right?_

_**Jumin Han** : Exactly, thank you._

_ > Zen, once again, please think before you text._

_ > Wait..._

_**Zen** : !!!_

_**707** : get rekt_

_ > oh wait_

_**Yoosung★** : I'm waiting_

_ > OH!!_

 

He decided to wait it out. At this rate, they wouldn't let him get a word in. Tae rolled his eyes as he realized there was only  _one_ female in the chatroom.  _Lowkey sexist, no?_ To make matters worst, she was an assistant.  _God,_ his sister would be so pissed.

 

_**Jaehee Kang** : No one can enter this chatroom without installing the private app we use... It seems someone has downloaded the RFA Messenger._

_**Yoosung★** : I thought Seven let only us download it?_

_**Tae Kyung** : lmao nah. i got linked from one of my friends saying that the app was impossible to get into. tbh i was curious about what made it so great. there's probably deep web lore about this. it's out there for anyone to use after all._

_**Jumin Han** : That was a drastic change in typing style._

_**707** : Oh... ^^; Wait_

_ > Just found something. This is weird._

_ > I traced the IP..._

_ > It's from Rika's apartment._

  

The chat went wild after that, accusing him of being a hacker, and then breaking in. He supposed that second one was fair.

 

_**ZEN** : It might be a girl~_

 

They got slightly sidetracked after that, which made Tae Kyung laugh. It had been a while since someone thought Min Tae Kyung was a girl. He looked around the living room and took a seat. It seemed he would be here a while.

He was starting to get bored of this game. 

707 was threatening to hack him. His curiosity was peaked.

 

_**Tae Kyung** : do your worst._

_**707** : A challenge? I'm intrigued._

_**ZEN** : Are you a woman?_

_**707** : Zen. Be more serious, plz?_

_ > And wait a sec on the woman the woman thing._

_ > Looking it up._

 

Tae wondered what he would hack. Would he see his phone gallery? No nudes as far as he could remember. Most of his social media was just pictures of the makeup he did. None of them were explicitly female or male, so they would be in for a surprise. Maybe he could mess around with them for a bit longer.

 

_**Tae Kyung** : am i a pretty girl~? i really tried my best~_

_**707** : Still working on it_

_ > Bet I'm prettier._

 

Zen included a picture in his introduction, earning him some harsh comments from Jumin Han, which Tae  _totally_ did not laugh at. 

707 had secrets. Tae Kyung lived on secrets, so he made a mental note to wear the "22yr old young hacker" down until he gave in.

Yoosung was the youngest, but still older than Tae Kyung. Tae quite liked the hair clips on Yoosung's bangs, mentally flipping through his accessories for something else the blond would wear.

Jumin and Jaehee were also older than him. Jumin's tsundere behavior appealed to him on an emotional, and he felt the need to make Jaehee proud. Or to have her kick his ass. He wasn't sure yet.

His flirty side was telling him to call them all oppa, to keep up the illusion. Calling them hyung would make things weird.

The cat was cute. Damn, they were all cute.

After telling them the full story from how he had gotten to the apartment.

 

_**707** : Nothing's in the log..._

_**Yoosung★** : What's a log? Is it a job title for online games?_

_**Jumin Han** : Tree trunk_

_**Tae Kyung** : it's a good thing you're all extremely cute._

_**Jaehee Kang** : **It refers to** past records;;_

_**ZEN** : Tsk tsk everyone's dumb_

_**Jumin Han** : Never thought I'd hear that from you._

 

 Tae leaned back, letting them talk. V became the subject of discussion and he was left alone for a bit.

 

_**Jumin Han** : I don't want to reveal anything._

_**Jaehee Kang** : I agree._

_**707** : Wecan._

_ > Sorry callingvandtypingwithonehand_

_**Yoosung★** : Type after you finish the call._

_**707** : Lookedintoownerofdevice._

_ > she'scutelol_

_**Yoosung★** : You did a background check on her!? So Tae Kyung is definitely a girl?_

_**Tae Kyung** : You're not violating my..._

_**707** : Itolduimahacker_

_ > Butnoevidenceididit_

_**Jumin Han** : What? It's really a girl?_

_**Tae Kyung** : referring me to an "it" is a big harsh._

_**707** : Ya._

_**V** has entered the chatroom._

_**ZEN** : Show me a photo_

_**707** : Nope~_

 

He sent a photo of a different girl. Tae laughed as he watched them find out it was the female member.

 

_**Jaehee Kang** : Mr. Han, you can't recognize me either?_

_**707** : Lol. Can't believe he doesn't even recognize his own assistant._

_**Jumin Han** : ..._ 

 

Tae Kyung tended to avoid these types of confrontations that was occurring in the chatroom. He let them talk it out, and observed as V gained Jumin's trust for him. V made him a bit nervous. He didn't really know what the feeling was. Maybe he was just flustered by this person that was so respected.

As the conversation continued, Tae Kyung realized that, mostly against his will, he would be staying there. At some dead girl's apartment. It wasn't exactly living the dream in big cities, but it was definitely an adventure.

He could sense the tension in the chatroom but chose to remain silent. He didn't like the thought of replacing someone, but  _damn it_ he had wanted something to do. Here it was. 

 

_**Tae Kyung** : i just came here to find the owner of the phone lmaoo_

_**707** : Owner of the phone?_

_ > You were phished lol_

_**Tae Kyung** : oh shit_

 

 _ **Jumin Han** : We don't even know who she is though._  
  
_**ZEN** : Just the fact that she's in this chatroom makes me trust her a bit though;;_  
  
_**Jumin Han** : Not because Tae Kyung is a girl?_  
  
  
  
_**V** : Tae Kyung, it is best not to touch anything in the apartment._

_ > It won't be good if the alarm rings._

He looked around. The nerves had risen. What had he gotten himself into?  
  
  
  
_**707** : Anyways, let's do what V said. Tae Kyung, u can log into this chatroom from time to time right?_  
  
_ > Please log in at times and do what Rika did._  
  
_**ZEN** : Yup. And come chat with us regularly._  
  
  
  
Jaehee gave a summary that really wasn't necessary, but he read it carefully anyway. Just to make sure he hadn't missed anything.  
  
  
Pick guests from the ones that the members recommended, respond to their emails so they could come to the party, and avoid looking through Rika's belongings. Seemed easy enough.  
  
  
  
_**Jumin Han** : All we are trying to do is host parties, raise funds, gather people... and things like that._

_ > ... You will never regret joining._

_**Yoosung★** : I thought Jumin was against her. Why the sudden change?_

_**Jumin Han** : I am only following V's orders._

_**ZEN** : If you join the organization, we'll be able to talk more. Not everyday we meet a pretty girl._

_**707** : Uhm, How do you know she's pretty? I didn't even send the photo._

_**ZEN** : Send the photo_

_**707** : No._

_**ZEN** : Damn._

_**Tae Kyung** : dw zen, i am very pretty. like,,, extremely pretty._

_**ZEN** : S e n d  t h e  p h o t o_

_**Tae Kyung** : ^^_

_**707** : N o ._

_**Jumin Han** : Men will be men._

_**ZEN** : And you're not a man?_

_**707** : Does Jumin Han is Gay?_

_**ZEN** : Go away. You scare me._

_**Tae Kyung** : this is a meme chatroom, isn't it?_

_**Jumin Han** : No_

_**707** : Yes!_

_**Jumin Han** : Hey. Shut up._

_ > Tae Kyung, will you join the RFA?_

_**Tae Kyung** : sure why not. call me Tae pls _

_**Jumin Han** : Fast decision, I like it. I will consider your request._

_**Jaehee Kang** : I wonder if you have thought this through._

_**Tae Kyung** : i'm too young to be thinking this through properly. besides, you will all take care of me, right?_

_**ZEN** : So. Cute. _

_ > Seven, register her asap._

_**Jaehee Kang** : She may not be a careful person. _

_**Tae Kyung** : I understand your point of view, Ms. Kang, but I really would like you to wait and see before beginning to pass judgment. At least give me a chance to prove myself. _

_**707** : What a change in style! _

_ > Ms. Kang lolol_

 

Everyone said their goodbyes and Tae Kyung was left alone in the chatroom. He exited and leaned his head back. What a day. He shot off a text to his sister that things had gotten complicated, but that he intended to return home as soon as he could.

He answered to the texts that the other members had sent him and stood up, wanting to explore the apartment a bit more. He placed his clothes in some empty drawers (that didn't count as going through Rika's things, right?) and plugged in his electronics. As he removed his makeup, he smiled in the mirror as he wondered what this adventure would bring.

_Will I finally figure out what I'm supposed to do?_


	2. first day pt1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tae Kyung: why wont u dicks let me sleep  
> Tae Kyung: honestly yall r gonna fuck up my beauty rest
> 
> i checked the word count and i was like oh no oh no so i decided to cut the first day in half?? i dont know what im doing ok sue me (actually dont im v sad and v poor)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sweats* i know i said i was doing zen's route first (and that is still my plan), but i thought that instead of diving right in, i could do the story by day? the first day is the same for all routes (EXCEPT FOR V AND UNKNOWN) so tae will interact w/ everyone  
> after today, then the common casual route will start with interactions with zen, yoosung, and jaehee  
> /then/ it'll be zen's route.  
> after i finish his, then i will go straight into yoosungs, and then jaehee  
> then i'll do the common deep route days, then jumin and seven  
> concerning v and unknown,,, uh i guess i'll cross that bridge when i get there i honestly don't know how that'll work but i have like 42 chapters to figure it out dw yall  
> please enjoy,, the first (half of the first) day!

After Tae Kyung left the chatroom, he went exploring in the apartment. It had a nice bedroom (not as nice as  _his_ , but it would do) with a bathroom a few feet away from the entrance to the bedroom. He would have to leave the room in order to go to the bathroom.  _Noted_.

The dresser was empty, so he placed his clothes in there and sighed, sitting on the bed.  _Was this his life now?_ How long would he have to be here? He knew his parents would start to get worried if he didn't come back soon.

A vibration distracted him from his thoughts. It seemed Yoosung was online and seeking his attention. He could relate.

 

 **_Yoosung★_ ** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_Yoosung★:_** _I really want to know what kind of person you are, Tae Kyung._

_**Tae Kyung** has entered the chatroom._

**_Tae Kyung:_** _just one lonely sheep longing for someone's arms~_

 **_Yoosung★:_** _I... I'm not quite a wolf..._

_ > But if you want... I can turn into a wo, wolf..._

_ > or maybe not T_T_

_**Tae Kyung:** you could def be a wolf, yoosung~_

_ > should i worry about you biting me?_

_ > i didn't think you were that type of person, yoosung,, the more you know, i guess_

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _!?!?_

_ > **> //< **_

_ > No-not like that!_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _lolol im just playing_

_**Yoosung★:**  I want to chat with you more often.  
_

_ >_ _I didn't get to see the photo, but Seven said you're cute and I believe him..!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_** _oh yoosung~ im swooning!_

 **_Yoosung★:_  ** _You talk cute too haha_

 **** _> You must really be a cutie_

 

Tae Kyung laughed as he read through Yoosung's story about his towel hat.

 

 **Yoosung _★:_** _If only I could visit Rika's apartment, I'd be able to meet you..._

_ > ...But V told us not to go and I can't disrespect him. T_T_

**_Tae Kyung:_** _i don't know if i could keep my hands off you, esp since you're such a cutie_

_**Yoosung★:** Oh! Um... haha?  
_

_ > **>** /// **<**_

_ > I'll be off to play games!_

_**Tae Kyung:** what games?  
_

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _ I play a game that is popular these days which is called LOLOL._

_ > Have you heard of it?_

**_Tae Kyung:_** _league of loneliness of life?_

 ** _Yoosung★:_** _Wow! I can't believe you know League of Loneliness of Life!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _i only know about it bc my ex spent so much time playing_ **** _it,,, i felt so neglected ;;_

 **_Yoosung★:_** _I would never choose LOLOL over my girlfriend!_

 **** _> Assuming I ever get one T_T_

_ > I'm gonna go game more!!_

_ > Bye Tae Kyung!_

_ > And... You deserve better..._

**_Yoosung★_  ** _has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

 

The phone began to ring and he raised his eyebrow as he read out  _707_.

"Hello?"

"Rrrrrrrrrr! Your bank account has been used for a fun prank! Were you aware of this? I must first confirm your cell phone number to verify your identity so please calmly follow the instructions."

Tae giggled over the line as he took in the heavy accent, deciding to play along.

"Oh, my! How could this happen? Should I press my number? Or say it? Was the prank at least a good one?"

"Guillible customer, please remain calm! Take deep breaths! In... Out. Please go ahead and say I love you~ You know, the way teddy bears say it?"

Tae snickered, almost hearing a smile on the other line.

"Honey, I love you~" 

There was laughter in the other's response. "Good job. God, that was so cute. Now... I must confirm your phone number. Please say it out loud."

Tae let out a gasp.

"I'm so sorry, but I can't do that! You should know my number if you called first~"

"Good! You did good! I'm so proud!"

"Beep beep, we have detected criminal activity on your account..."

"What?! You managed to get into a hacker's account? Amazing! But! I don't have a bank account. My boss told me using cash is safer! Anyway, I checked your phone number, so I'll let the other members know. Please take care of the other members if they call, okay?"

Seven hung up after saying  _bye bye._

Tae smiled at his phone and changed into his sweats, removing his make up and sliding into the made bed after he had connected his laptop to its charger and to the apartment wifi (the password had been scrawled on a notepad on the computer desk in the office). He decided to just watch makeup tutorials on his laptop while scrolling through Twitter on his phone. He noticed some of his friends trying to DM him and rolled his eyes as he opened the group chat. It seemed they were trying to plan a shopping trip and needed his schedule.

 

_**daddy's boy:** where the fuck is tae smh he has no life what could he be doing?_

**_bad b(ee):_ ** _maybe(e) he's finally getting laid lololol_

 ** _dat_ _meme:_**   _i can't believe that ur still using bee puns_

 **_dat meme:_ ** _wait dont_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _don't u mean,,,, bEElieve_

 _**daddy's boy:** _ _no wonder he left he probably realized what trash we are_ _  
_

_**bad b(ee):** anyway im picking u dirty sluts up @ 11 so be ready hoes  
_

_**dat meme:**  i love the way u talk dirty to me yes papi  
_

**_daddy's boy:_ ** _i am,,, disgusted,,, but also turned on_

 **_bad_ ** _**b(ee):** wont ur handler be jealous_

_**daddy's boy:** hes not the boss of me_

_**daddy's boy:** o shit he just texted me saying "i can sense u talking shit"_

_**dat meme:** thats creepy ngl_

_**dat meme:** we can try to kill him if u want, but hes the best guy u've had in a while so i wouldn't want to do that_

**_daddy's boy:_ ** _he's just overprotective sigh dw guys im safe_

_**bad b(ee):** we're going shopping tmrw so if lets file a police report if u want lolol   
_

_**bae kyung:**  jesus  
_

_**bae kyung:** jin soo u prob texted him the shifty eyes emoji or the tea emoji don't even start that  
_

_**daddy's boy:** well hello to you too  
_

**_daddy's_ _boy:_ ** _look im not denying but u can't prove it_

 **_bae_ _kyung:_ ** _yeah hey_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _he's still v overprotective,,, course it doesnt help that u try to make him jealous all the time smH_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _tae, did u see that im picking u up?_

 **_bae kyung:_ ** _o_

 **_bae kyung:_ ** _im not staying @ my house rn, but i can meet up @ mickey d's or smthg?_

 **_dat_ _meme:_ ** _i always thought mina would be the first to run away,,, i never thought tae would grow a pair and leave,, considering that he's the youngest lolol_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _why me??? ur not wrong but still u sound confrontational and im not about that life_

 **_bad_ _b(ee):_ ** _stop attacking me, soo mi_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _ill call ur mom_

 **_dat meme:_ ** _pls don't she'll ground me_

 **_daddy's_ _boy:_ ** _ur 21 wyd soo mi_

 **_dat meme:_ ** _ur 22 and u still call someone daddy_

 **_daddy's boy:_ ** _i feel attacked stop kink shaming me_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _i just need someone to CONFIRM for tmrw bc YA LOCAL HOE needs some cute clotheS stop being some shitty friends_

 **_bae kyung:_ ** _mina is triggered,,, honey just think about bees and chill the fuck out. tell me where ur eating breakfast and ill meet u there_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _thats better than nothing thanks tae ily ur my fav i am thinking pleasantly about bees now_

 **_daddy's boy:_ ** _mina yes i will patiently be waiting out for my favorite bee enthusiast_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _ur my favorite sinner,,, after soo mi_

 **_dat meme:_ ** _thats right bow down u lil slut_

 **_dat meme:_ ** _also yes mina i will be awaiting ur screaming voice as u realize im still in bed_

 **_daddy's boy:_ ** _wait what about tae??? he getting no love???_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _tae aint a sinner, u hoe. hes just an angel boi who pretends hes on our level_

 **_bae kyung:_ ** _i hate having such old friends_

 **_bae kyung:_ ** _the teasing will have no end_

 **_bae kyung:_ ** _im going to sleep now,,, had a busy night and i need to sleep if im dealin w yo asses tmrw bye_

 **_daddy's boy:_ ** _ok bye tae <3 we love u_

 **_dat meme:_ ** _whoa i wouldnt go that far_

 **_dat meme:_ ** _jk yeah we luv u sm honeybunny_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _keep ur flirting away from my good christian app_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _and away from my sweet son who i would k i l l for_

 **_bad b(ee):_ ** _gn tae see u tmrw bb <3_

 **_bae kyung:_ ** _later mina~ leave me alone jin soo,,, c u later soo mi, my sugarberry <3_

 

Tae plugged in his phone and shut his laptop, moving it under his pillow and closing his eyes. He would need all the energy he could get if he wanted to deal with his friends. 

Only to be awoken a few hours later by the chime he learned to associate with a chatroom being opened by another member. He sighed and unlocked it, smiling slightly as he realized it was the female member, Jaehee.

 

_**Jaehee Kang** has entered the chatroom._

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _Tae Kyung?_

 

He looked over sleepily at the time and groaned as he read 2:21.

 

_**Tae Kyung** has entered the chatroom._

**_Tae Kyung:_** _Hello, Jaehee. Is there a reason you're still awake?_

 **_Jaehee Kang:_** _I've been documenting what occurred today._

_ > I guess... you could call it a journal._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _Jaehee, it's late. I know you're diligent, but you need sleep._

 **_Jaehee Kyung:_** _It is necessary for being an assistant. Are you not diligent, Tae Kyung?_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _I wouldn't say that. I try to be diligent._

 **_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _I would like to ask if you are really aware of the current situation. A normal person would have been very surprised at what happened today._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _I have never really qualified for normal. My family raised me in an accepting environment so normal is not in my vocabulary. I would apologize, but I can't change who I am, Jaehee._

 **_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _..._

 **** _> To be honest, I do not fully trust you, but at least you're open about yourself._

_ > I advise you to be careful of what you do._

**_Tae Kyung:_** _Thanks for the warning._

 **_Jaehee Kang:_** _Oh... I apologise. I didn't mean for it to be a warning. Thank you for understanding, though. If you are confused about Rika's work, then I will explain._ 

 

Jaehee proceeded to explain the process again, but Tae was not even awake enough to comprehend half of what she said.

 

_**Jaehee Kang:** It is quite late. I must go to bed now. You must be quite exhausted as well. Goodbye, Tae Kyung._

_**Jaehee Kang** has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

 

He was only allowed two more hours of sleep before the next member decided to start a chatroom.

It was only 4 am, why won't they let him sleep?

 

_**ZEN** has entered the chatroom._

**_ZEN:_ ** _I see both Yoosung and Jaehee got to talk to our newest member one on one._

_ > How lucky they are._

_**Tae Kyung** has entered the chatroom._

**_Tae Kyung:_** _hi zen_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Ah! The pretty lady has arrived. What are you doing up? Can't fall asleep? To be honest, my heart's been beating so fast ever since you joined our group._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _i'm swooning, zen~ my heart is racing_

 **_ZEN:_** _God, so cute. I can't tell if you're serious or just playing around. I'll have to see everything to know._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _everything? Zen! I'm blushing, you're such a perv~ ;)_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Perv? What's going on in your head? Hahahahaha._

_ > I finally feel relieved now that you've joined the organization. To be honest I don't really like any of the guys in the group._

 

Zen, then, began to rant about the other members, but it was again, much too early to really process the opinions. All he could do was turn on his flirty autopilot. He would read through the chatrooms later and judge whether he had made drastic mistakes or not.

 

 **_ZEN:_** _It's been five years since I've had a girlfriend. Damn._

 **_Tae Kyung:_** _i can change that if you want, zen~_

 **_ZEN:_** _Wow~ You're a genius, Tae Kyung~ But I think I'll get a girlfriend when it's time. It's fun talking to you._

_ > It's starting to be late, so I'm going to rest now. Don't stay up too late, pretty girl~_

_**ZEN** has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung**  has left the chatroom._

 

Before he exited the app, he saw that he had a couple texts from the other members. He replied to them to the best of his abilities, given that it was 4:35 am. Hopefully, they would let him sleep a bit longer before rudely awakening his well-needed beauty rest. 

They let him sleep for a measly 3 and a half hours. He was ready to throw some hands. He totally would have, except Yoosung didn't seem like the type to have thick skin. Not thick enough to deal with his early morning rage.

 

_**Yoosung★** has entered the chatroom._

**Yoosung _★:_**   _Do you know that Zen always complains about being single these days? But... I've never even been in a relationship T_T Come on, Zen, look at me._

_ > I have class at 9 so I have to take the bus now._

**_Tae Kyung_** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung:_** _yoosung, baby boy, i have to sleep. dont make me come over there and f i g h t you. i'll hear you out later, just as i heard zen out. _

 **_Tae_ ** _**Kyung** has left the chatroom._

_**Yoosung★:** B-baby boy??? >//< _

_> Um... Oksu! I'kl trxt yiu lster!_

               >  _I feel so flustered now ///_

 **_Yoosung★_** _has left the chatroom._

 

Tae Kyung didn't even want to deal with the mess that Zen and Jumin were making in the chatroom.

It was still far too early.

 

_**Jumin Han:** Are you on your period?_

**_ZEN:_** _Yeah, I am~_

 **_Jumin Han:_** _Get lost._

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung:_** _girls, girls, you're both pretty._

_ > why won't you let me sleep~?_

**_ZEN:_** _Welcome, Tae Kyung~_

 **_Jumin_ ** _**Han:**  Hello._

 **_ZEN:_** _Your response was so lame. We should let the pretty lady sleep. Besides, I don't want to talk to this jerk anyway. All he does is talk about his stupid cat._

 **_Jumin Han:_ ** _Elizabeth the 3rd is perfect. I can brag about her as much as I want._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _No one cares about cat pictures._

 

Tae had to admit that it was a beautiful cat. This did not affect that he did not want to be awake to witness this mostly pointless conversation. It seemed fairly biased. He didn't want to contribute to either side.

 

_**Jumin Han:** A true pro never involves emotions with work._

**_Tae Kyung:_** _can we change the subject?_

 **_ZEN:_** _I want pizza bread._

 **_Jumin Han:_** _ I don't know why pizza bread exists._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _jumin pls don't ruin pizza bread for me i don't have enough reasons to live for you to take this away from me_

 **_Jumin Han:_** _It tastes like pizza, but cheaper._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _;; I can't watch you insult pizza bread._

 **_Jumin Han:_** _I don't care what other people think. Elizabeth the 3rd's love is all I need._

 **_Tae Kyung:_** _im offended u mean u dont need me in ur life? my heart is breaking_

_**Jumin Han:** I don't know how to respond to that.  
_

**_ZEN:_**   _I bet you sleep while hugging the cat. Imagine all the fur on your bed._

 **_Jumin_ _Han:_ ** _... Did you just imagine my bed?_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _ **Get lost.** _

_**Tae Kyung:** get rekt_

**_ZEN:_** _Bye. I have better things to do._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _lovely zen_ _, you'll talk to me later, right?_

 **_ZEN:_** _... Lovely Zen? omg. my heart just jumped a bit... Of course, my pretty lady~_

 **_Jumin Han:_** _I'm leaving first. Adios._

 **_Jumin Han_** _has left the chatroom._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Ugh. I'll talk to you later~_

 **_ZEN_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung_** _has left the chatroom._

 

Tae Kyung decided to ignore the next chatroom, simply preferring to read it later. The highlights were Jumin being called a cat mom, Seven's request to see Jumin's cat being rejected, Seven biting Elizabeth's neck, and Seven offering to hug Jumin. He giggled at the biting revelation and sent a quick text.

_damn seven, so kinky~ didn't know you were a sadist~_

He got up and yawned, staring sadly at the clock. The RFA hadn't let him sleep much, but he had to get up now. He showered quickly, but not fast enough to put all of his make up on. He put on a pink V-neck that made him feel extra pretty. He paired it with skinny jeans and boots. It wasn't as feminine as he was used to, but he hadn't exactly been thinking clearly. He was lucky his skin was as clear, so he could skip out on the foundation. He would have to deal with the freckles that his Mother had passed onto him. She wasn't Korean, so her genes had made him look more American than his sister did. They had visited a few times, but he preferred it here. Maybe someday he would go back, but as of right now, he would deal with having to cover up those pesky freckles that appeared with enough sun. He squinted at the mirror, realizing that he  _did_ look extremely feminine. A cross he must bear for looking so good, he supposed.

His phone vibrated with an incoming text from Seven.

_you don't know the half of it_

He laughed and rolled his eyes. Seven was pretty funny.

Another vibration alerted him that Mina was trying to get his attention.

 

_be(e)st friend: tae babe are you on your way? bc the rest of us are almost there_

_yeah im heading out now, but this place is super close to mickey d's so ill see you there there_

_be(e)st friend: ok u beetter_

_im going to punch u in the face_

_be(e)st friend: be(e)t_

 

As he walked out of the apartment, he noticed that there were cameras in certain areas and felt a bit nervous. He decided to ask Seven about it later, when he wasn't rushing to leave.

He loved his friends so much. They were so incredible and wonderful that he could not resist the urge to give them all a big hug, to which they laughed at him, but returned. Soo Mi ruffled his hair and teased him, mentioning his height as ammunition. He supposed he could deal with her and Jin Soo's teasing if it meant them staying his best friends. Jin Soo pulled out a pale yellow flower crown from Soo Mi's purse, smiling at him. Mina flicked Soo Mi's forehead, but laughed at her comments anyway. The events of the night were beginning to hit him, and he was endlessly grateful for his friends. They were a constant reminder that it was okay. If it wasn't okay, then it would be. Eventually.

Mina took the flower crown out of Jin Soo's hand and placed it on Tae Kyung, cooing as she backed away. Soo Mi pinched his cheeks and Jin Soo leaned in slightly, gasping.

"Your freckles!" Tae felt his face heat up and looked away.

"I didn't have enough time to put makeup on besides the eyes." He wasn't  _embarrassed_ , but they weren't his favorite part of his face. It set him apart from the other people he surrounded himself with. Soo Mi squinted at him and nodded.

"Can you link me later? I like that look." Tae couldn't answer, mostly because Mina was poking his cheeks.

"Your freckles are so pretty, Tae. You look more like a girl than Soo Mi does." He laughed, volume growing more as Soo Mi looked offended. "You know I'm right, Soo Mi. Look at how lovely Tae looks." Soo Mi rolled her eyes but nodded grudgingly.

Breakfast went by quickly, and they began their shopping, Jin Soo dragging Soo Mi away to look for something to surprise his boyfriend with. Tae Kyung just laughed and waved as Soo Mi begged them to be rescued. Mina turned to Tae and smiled brightly, leading him to the swimsuit area that also had floral dresses.

Tae listened to Mina rant about the current man of her life, and how she had been invited to go swimming with him and his friends. She didn't want to go by herself, so she invited him (plus Soo Mi and Jin Soo) to come along with her. That meant that he would need a new swimsuit. She slyly suggested a bikini to mess with the other group. If he were an anime character, then his eyes would have glowed and there would have been some sick parkour happening. Mina asked him if there were any people in his life, causing him to scoff and shove her lightly.

"Mina, I haven't seen anyone since that asshole gamer. I don't have the best history when it comes to dating. Who would want to date me? Just look at me." Mina raised her eyebrow at him and dragged him to a full sized mirror. Her voice was gentle as she forced him to look at his reflection.

"Yes, please look at yourself. I know you have a bit of a narcissistic side on a good day, but you really are attractive. Your personality is kind of shit at times and you flirt with everything that breathes, but it's part of your charm. I wish you knew how precious you are to me. To Soo Mi. To Jin Soo. To your parents and your sister. We all love you, and you have proven you don't need someone by your side. You don't attract assholes, but you trust too easily at first. I worry about you sometimes, but anyone would be lucky to call you theirs." Tae felt his face heat up again.

"God, Mina that was so emotional." He ignored the light blush that was making his freckles stand out. She smiled and extended her hand.

"You look so cute right now, trust me this is good IG material. You'll get hella likes." He pulled out his phone and gave it to her, grateful that she had moved on quickly, since she knew he wasn't too fond of having these kinds of moments in public.

He adjusted his black choker and gave a wide smile. She nodded and took a picture. 

"Give me... Sexy!" He rolled his eyes.

"Just bite your lip or something. Girls love that." He knew she wanted to cheer him up, so he let her have some fun. When she showed him the pictures, he laughed as he realized the background was, even more, deceiving to people who wondered what his gender was. Mina left to find some clothes for them to try on. It was super convenient that the next chatroom was opened.

Seven revealed that he was the number one player on Yoosung's server.

 

_**Tae Kyung:** u guys r such nerds _

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _No!_

 **_707:_ ** _You aren't wrong._

 

 **_707:_ ** _ I'm looking for the person who guided Tae Kyung to Rika's apartment._

 **_Yoosung★:_ ** _If you find out, will you tell everyone?_

 **_707:_ ** _That, as always, depends on what V says._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _you should tell me, seven~_

 **_707:_ ** _Hmm... I'll think about it ^^_

 

The conversation turned to Rika and Yoosung's mistrust in V. Soon after, they both left. Before Tae could lock his phone, he had an incoming call from Jaehee.

"Hello, Jaehee."

"Yes, hello. It's very nice to meet you. Seven told us your number so I called. I wanted to properly talk to you instead of just continuing to chat online." Tae began to walk around the store, humming in response.

"I understand. It would be better to talk face to face."

"I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Hey, Jaehee, what do you like? Do you like shopping?"

"I like to watch musicals that Zen has starred in. Shopping... I haven't done that in a while. My job is quite demanding and I doubt Mr. Han would allow me to miss out on work for shopping."

"He's just a buzzkill. Maybe we could watch the musicals together?" He heard Jaehee's breath hitch.

"Yes! It would be truly amazing if you watched them!" Tae smiled and moved a couple clothes hangers. Jaehee was strange, but he quite liked her.

The conversation turned to the RFA, to which Jaehee revealed that she did not get along with  _someone_ (he could guess who it was).

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I have to go handle some work. Hopefully, we can talk again sometime?" Tae, once again, smiled and held in a laugh at her veiled excitement.

"Of course, Jaehee. It was really nice talking to you." 

 

He hung up and looked up, seeing Mina eyeing him with an unreadable expression on her face. He stared back, watching curiously as she collected herself, holding up some swimsuits for them to try on. He nodded and followed her, setting one of the pictures that Mina had taken as his profile picture on the RFA app. He smiled to himself as he wondered what the other members would think when they saw the new picture.

 

* * *

 

**Zen**

He had taken a break from reading his lines and checked the messenger app. There wasn't anyone waiting in a chatroom, so he felt disappointed. He saw that Yoosung had updated his mood status, and decided to look at the newest member's picture again. He didn't like how blurry the picture had been, but it was better than nothing.

Instead of the original picture, he saw a new one. Tae Kyung was  _cute_ , God damn. He took a screenshot and wished the picture could be bigger. He zoomed in when he opened the gallery, trying to absorb the details. He felt  _the Beast_ stir as he noticed the bikinis and short skirts in the background, along with the V-neck that Tae Kyung was wearing.

 _Shit_.

* * *

 

**Yoosung**

LOLOL was loading the next level, so Yoosung decided to check on Tae Kyung, the new member who had a habit of flirting with him. Well, flirting  _at_ him, because he sure as hell wasn't returning it. All he did was blush. 

And he blushed  _again_ when he noticed how adorable Tae Kyung's smile was. There was a blush on her face too, along with...  _what is that? Oh... Freckles._ Yoosung had never had an opinion of freckles until now. Now, he had a very  _strong_ opinion of freckles and pretty smiles.

He wondered if he would ever recover from seeing skirts that short.

* * *

 

**Jaehee**

She had just gotten off the phone with Tae Kyung, a smile still on her face as she repeated her soft laugh in her mind. She went to her text messages and noticed the change in the profile picture. She squinted and let a new smile grow on her face. 

Tae Kyung was shopping, obviously, surrounded by clothes. She let herself focus on Tae Kyung's hair, however. It was short, just like hers. Well, not as short, but it wasn't styled the way hers was. It was black, and soft looking if the fluffy appearance was anything to go off on. There were yellow flowers in her hair.

Yellow was her favorite color before, but Jaehee wasn't sure if that was the only reason she couldn't take her eyes off the picture.

* * *

 

** Jumin **

He had actually been considering opening a chatroom, but with the sudden departure of Yoosung and Seven, the people who would participate would probably be either Zen or Jaehee and he wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to _them_. He scrolled through the past chats and tilted his head. 

It appeared Tae Kyung had changed her picture. He went to her profile and raised an eyebrow.  _What was she wearing? Is that where she shops?_  Such a deep V-neck would surely distract him, should she ever visit, and that would not be productive. He wondered if it would be appropriate for his assistant to ask Tae Kyung for her measurements. He did, however, approve of her haircut. It was a small victory if he ignored all the other potential distractions.

Besides, her choker looked like a collar, which reminded him of Elizabeth the 3rd.

* * *

 

** Seven **

He had been working when Tae Kyung left the house, but he had noticed her absence. He wasn't sure if he should ask where she was going since he didn't know whether V would want him to share the information of the cameras in the apartment.

He had noticed the change in the picture immediately since V still had him monitoring her every move. They weren't sure if she was safe yet, so there was a good excuse, right? His mouth felt like it was filled with cotton and he found it hard to swallow. He didn't have a  _type_ , but seeing Tae Kyung like that,  _wow._ It was all perfect. (Due to perks of being the creator of the app and master hacker,) He zoomed in on her picture and took in every detail. Her face was oddly androgynous, but she looked so  _cute_. Her collarbones were visible and her skin looked tanner than the other members. He wondered what that meant. 

She had one of her ears pierced along the edge, while the other had no sign of being pierced. The piercings mixed with the choker had him feeling dizzy. Her flowers were cute, but they would look better if they were red. 

Her eyes were wide, not exactly what he had been expecting. Maybe she wasn't completely Korean.

And then... The freckles.

He grinned and started to type out a text.

* * *

 

Tae Kyung couldn't answer the text that had him blushing from the roots of his hair to the tip of his toes, but he could ignore the confused glances that Mina was sending him after he had nearly thrown his phone out of the dressing rooms.

 

_**707:** Did you know that some people think that freckles are kisses from angels?_

**_707:_ ** _Who could worship those pretty freckles better than a religious man, such as myself?_

 

Tae was going to get him back for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'll be doing my own little commentary on the chapter to give you my own thoughts 
> 
> *sweats nervously* i /probably/ won't write out each chatroom, but who knows? im def gonna rewrite the responses bc Tae isn't like canon MC, but i'll mostly stick to what is canon (im using the original chatrooms so some are directly copied and pasted lolol)
> 
> the reason seven didn't realize at first that tae is a boy is bc his voice isn't as low as a male's voice usually is (it isn't super high pitched, but kind of in the neutral area, so since he /thinks/ tae is a girl, his brain is like yeah this is a female w a low voice) plus voices over the phone aren't always accurate lets be real ok. seven will find out in the casual story eventually but not on the first day
> 
> i doubted whether i should include all the calls and chatrooms at this moment bc i realized that it would make the word count go up so fast smh 
> 
> i love tae's friends ugh i cant believe i wrote so much dialogue for them smh
> 
> Jin Soo (daddy's boy): 22 yrs old,, male  
> Soo Mi (dat meme): 21 yrs old,, female  
> Mi Na/Mina (bad b(ee)): 22 yrs old,, female  
> (obviously Tae is bae kyung (ive seen it spelled taekyung too but i like spaces/// i call him Tae bc its a shorter version of his full first name Tae Kyung and its a hassle to write that out smh/// hes 18 if u forgot,, how he met them will come later dw)
> 
> i JUST noticed bae kyung is so close to baekhyun lolol i luv being exo trash,, but i just wanted to make memey names for the gang ok?
> 
> u kno how the members like to send multiple messages at one??? i like it and i do that too, but jesus its so complicated bc my tab key doesnt function the way it should so i have to use SPACES. therefore,,, i will write multiple messages as one giant bubble unless it flows better as separate messages.
> 
> lmao V-neck (this is the shirt in gray, but not as low,, tae is classy u kno,, he just likes being pretty https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1UfYFJVXXXXb8XpXXq6xXFXXX5/Anspretty-Apparel-Deep-v-neck-sexy-women-crop-top-knitted-fabric-hollow-out-string-t-shirt.jpg )
> 
> the profile pic i pictured in my head had his full face and freckles and blush visible,,, and yes his hair isn't as long as what is traditionally female, but have u seen zen and jaehee's hair? the rfa isn't phased by this ok. when i figure out how to show yall what the picture looks like, then i will def link u bc he looks cute ok
> 
> sorry these reactions were a bit repetitive,, i am uncreative  
> plus my brain is kind of fried. i stayed up until 5 am to finish the majority of this chapter and woke up earlier than i would have liked to finish it sigh  
> i cant believe i wanted to write the whole day i would never sleep  
> at this rate, i think the punk mc will get his own separate work, bc this is already gonna be super long with just cute tae sigh
> 
> me: lmao should i even use "hard" and "swallow" in the same sentence?  
> me: probably not
> 
> seven gets to have a longer reaction bc he can actually see a better quality version of the pic (mostly unbiased decision on my part)
> 
> i just think that tae looks cute w freckles awawaw  
> also i wanted more representation in an mc ok  
> maybe each route will have a diff country of origin for tae's mom  
> if u wanna suggest something for that, then pls comment a country and i will do my research!!  
> EDIT: i know i said tae looks more american than his sister and said they went to america,, BUT i am dumb so please ignore that and still send in suggestions,, i mean he'll be american on more than one occasion, bc North, Central, and South America,, but he can also be from a diff continent dont let my inability to think ahead prevent u from suggesting something,, like im probs gonna make him latino in some route, he ain't whitewashed
> 
> its so easy to make tae and seven flirt,,, therefore i have decided they will flirt no matter which route it is... until we get to his bc tbh seven's tragic route would not change even with a male mc
> 
> do u guys like my commentary? im probably gonna continue doing this, but if u dont like it, then ill make it shorter idk  
> pls comment, it motivates me to get off my ass and write!!


	3. first day pt2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry there's been slow updates  
> i went on vacation and didn't bother writing  
> im still in high school for another year so lets pray for light amounts of homework so i can actually update!  
> ty to Cassie (HomestuckFan157) for being hella nice and commenting on both chapters and for the suggestion of Egypt as an origin for Tae's mom!  
> hopefully you guys stick around until the end of this work!  
> ALSO DID U GUYS SEE V'S ROUTE IS COMING OUT NEXT MONTH YEAHHHHH BOIIII IM SCREAMING MY BEAUTIFUL SON (this solves the mystery of how ill do v's route)  
> *whispers* u k n o w n ' s r o u t e p l s & t h a n k

Tae Kyung found himself dragging Mina around the makeup store, holding up cosmetics to her face and squinting slightly as he tried to imagine them on her. He was so engrossed in this, that he didn't notice the chime signaling someone opening a chatroom. Mina pouted as he told her to wait a sec.  
  
  
  
_**Jaehee Kang** has entered the chatroom._  
  
_**Tae Kyung** has entered the chatroom._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** Oh, hello Tae Kyung_  
  
_**Tae Kyung:** hi jaehee_  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** I was actually just thinking about you._  
  
_**Tae Kyung:** interesting..._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** I suppose so. It is mostly an observation in irony present in your living situation. We, who have worked with Rika, cannot enter the place._  
  
_**Tae Kyung:** and i, a complete stranger, am staying there._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** Yes. There are probably documents in that apartment pertaining to what Rika did. If you fill in her position, then maybe we can host parties again.  What do you think?_  
  
_**Tae Kyung:** honestly, that's a whole lotta pressure on me, but i will certainly think about it._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** I am glad that you will carefully consider it. After all, it is a delicate matter. Please take all the time you need._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** However... if you decide to leave... it will be up to V and Luciel to decide whether you can leave peacefully._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** You do know too much about the organization._  
  
  
  
Tae Kyung decided to change the subject quickly, knowing that asking for yet another explanation of what he had to do would be the perfect way to distract her before he got too freaked out. Basically just emailing potential guests and persuading them to come? Piece of cake. It was easy to forget that his father was a businessman who made him take just as many lessons as his sister had, despite not taking over the family company.  
  
The discussion of the party continued. Jaehee explained Rika's mission and V's absence in the chatroom.  
  
  
  
_**Tae Kyung:** do u want v to come back?_  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** I... Well, I don't know. That's a difficult question._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** Ah. I would like to talk more, but I must leave._  
  
_**Tae Kyung:** ok, jaehee ^^ remember what i _ _said about us going shopping! im_   _in a makeup store and i_ _found some nice subtle stuff that jumin might allow._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** Oh... Thank you, Tae Kyung, for thinking of me. Perhaps we can go shopping after the party. _  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** Assuming Mr. Han gives me a break._  
  
_**Jaehee Kang:** Goodbye, Tae Kyung._  
  
_**Tae Kyung:** bye, jaehee!_  
  
_**Jaehee Kang** has left the chatroom._  
  
_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._  
  
  
  
He looked over at what Mina was doing and noticed that Soo Mi and Jin Soo had returned. Jin Soo glanced over at him and held up some lipsticks. They both turned to Soo Mi, gears spinning as they began designing a look for her, Jin Soo taking over the clothes department and Tae taking care of her makeup. Mina grinned as Soo Mi groaned, realizing she was in for a long night if Jin Soo or Tae decided to play dress up with her.  
  
"Mina!" She called out as Jin Soo began dragging her out of the store. Tae put the cosmetics back where he got them and pulled Mina out to catch up with Soo Mi and Jin Soo.  
  
"Mina can definitely do your hair, Soo Mi. Her hair is so much nicer than yours and maybe you might actually look like a girl after we're all done." Soo Mi pouted.  
  
"I don't understand how people think you're so nice, Tae. They are wrong. Very, very wrong." Mina shoved Soo Mi gently.  
  
"That's my precious jelly bean you're talking about." Soo Mi rolls her eyes.  
  
"You might have her fooled, Tae Kyung, but you will rue the day you crossed me!" Tae snickers, ignoring the way that people were beginning to stare at Soo Mi and Jin Soo.

"Bring it on, bitch." Soo Mi cracked a smile and flipped him off, not fighting off Jin Soo as wholeheartedly as before. Mina shook her head and mumbled about not be(e)ing able to have nice things.

 

They were walking around for some time, trying on swimsuits and looking for clothes to wear over them. Mina wanted Tae to go all out with his trolling, and Jin Soo had jumped onto that train.

"Tae, you have to show off your freckles that day! Besides, would your makeup cake even last that long in the water? Even my finishing spray doesn't last that long in the water." 

Soo Mi made some kind of approving sound from the floor as Mina braided her hair. Mina tugged lightly on the strands and Soo Mi's face scrunched up. Tae had been in the middle of hiding his pesky freckles using Mina's foundation. She wasn't as dark as him, but Soo Mi and Jin Soo were not even close to his color, so he had to make due.

Jin Soo looked over at Tae's phone as it lit up.

"Tae, you have a message from," he picked up the phone and read out the notification. "Jumin Han." He looked back up to Tae, who had stopped blending in the foundation.

"Who's Jumin Han?" Mina stayed quiet, but she looked at him with equal curiosity as Soo Mi did.

He stuck his tongue out at the girls.

"You're both so nosy. Can't a guy have other friends?" Tae had never been so grateful to Jin Soo as he had at that moment.

The girls rolled their eyes and Mina pulled Soo Mi's hair again, taking away their attention from Jin Soo and Tae Kyung. Jin Soo pulled out his own phone, Tae recognizing the name of the caller as Jin Soo turned to face away from him while he picked up. His voice was quiet, so Tae knew that Jin Soo would be distracted by his boyfriend for a while.

 

 **_Jumin Han_** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung_** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_Jumin Han:_ ** _Hello, Tae Kyung._

 **_Tae_ _Kyung:_** _ayo whaddup mista trustfundkid_

_**Jumin Han:** Ha. Are you being playful?_

_**Jumin Han:** Congratulations again on joining the organization. It was easy to enter but leaving won't be so easy._

_**Tae Kyung:** i have multiple things to say to that, mr. ham_

_**Tae Kyung:** i meant han_

_**Tae Kyung:** no i didnt_

_**Tae Kyung:** anyway, are you threatening me?_

_**Tae Kyung:** bc i usually expect some wine and dining to happen before a person starts threatening me_

_**Jumin Han:** It is a bit of a threat. _

_**Jumin Han: You're at Rika's apartment.** Her private documents are there. You only have to deal with the information we need._

_**Jumin Han:** You'll have access to the information about the party that Rika managed. I hope that you'll take on the task and continue her work without any trouble._

_**Tae Kyung:** thx fam ur flattery is a1_

_**Tae Kyung:** i'll do my best, jumin haaaaaan._

_**Jumin Han:** Good girl._

_**Jumin Han:** All the party guests had to contact Rika. It was her job to convince them to participate. It won't be easy. I hope you do a good job._

_**Tae Kyung:** mr. han i already said i would do my best._

_**Jumin Han:** There is quite a lot depending on this, so I apologize if I come off as pressuring. But this party is important. Don't you want to make memories you'll never forget?_

_**Tae Kyung:** i'd like to be helpful if this is a important event. i'm not new to these kinds of parties, but this is the first time i'll be helping out personally._

_**Tae Kyung:** i will do my best and put in as much effort as i can. please have a little faith._

_**Jumin Han:** If you need anything, ask me or Assistant Kang. I'm busy so I can't log in often. Assistant Kang is trustworthy, sincere, and hardworking, despite her hesitance._

_**Jumin Han:** I have to get to work now._

_**Tae Kyung:** bye jumin han~_

_**Jumin Han:** Bye Tae Kyung~_

_**Jumin Han:** That would be ridiculous and Assistant Kang would nag me. I'll be off._

_**Jumin Han:** Good luck_

_**Jumin Han** has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

 

Tae smiled as he exited from the chatroom, about to lock his phone when he realized he had some texts from the other members that he should probably open. He opened up Yoosung's thread.

 

_(00:10) Tae Kyung, I don't know if I made a mistake today T_T I'm just an innocent college student, okay? Don't take it the wrong way lolol Good night~!_

_(07:20) Did you have breakfast? Hope you did!_

 

 

Tae couldn't remember what Yoosung was referring to, and he almost groaned when he remembered being on autopilot for a good amount of the chatrooms of the morning. He scrolled up and read the first chatroom of the day.

Intense flirting with Yoosung. Yes, that was familiar. The texts were probably referring to the whole "wolf" thing. Yoosung was so cute and embarrassed. Tae would have a lot of fun with him.

It was a bit of a late response, but Yoosung was a big boy, right? He could handle a late reply.

 

_(13:52) yoosung, dw. i didn't take it the wrong way!_

_(13:52) i understood completely that you were expressing how kinky you are but wanted to keep it from the other members! i get it. i personally have a biting kink, so ig it's a perfect match, hm? ;)_

_(13:53) i did have breakfast w friends! we're about to get some lunch. hope you eat well~_

 

Yoosung was in class, but Tae was sure that based on what he had seen so far, Yoosung would check the texts anyway.

 

_(14:05) Tae Kyung!!!! That's not what I meant at all!!!!! T_T!!!!_

_(14:06) Have a good lunch though..._

 

It was too easy to mess with him.

Zen was next.

 

_(04:37) Don't you think we along pretty well? It hasn't even been a day..._

 

He snorted and shook his head as he replied.

 

_(14:07) it hadn't even been 5 hours, zen. but yeh we're cool_

 

_(14:09) Have you fallen for my good looks too? You can take your time, but I could speed things up for you._

 

Jesus, this guy was as big a flirt as he was. The options were clear. Out flirt him or... No, the other option was too mean. He would just try to out flirt Zen. No big deal. After Yoosung, he definitely needed a challenge.

Two threads left. Jumin first. He would only reply to Jaehee an hour late. She was lucky.

 

 _(08:15)_   _Slim waist, beautiful fur... Cats are the best animals. Don't you think?_

 

This guy really likes cats. Noted.

 

_(14:10) cats r lit_

_(14:10) and by that, i mean i think they r neat, u old man. i could see u asking me what lit means. it means cool. it means i think its fire. its lit, jumin han. cats r lit._

 

_(14:12) I'm not that old._

_(14:12) But thank you for the clarification._

_(14:13) Liking cats is... lit?_

 

He was proud. Extremely proud of Jumin.

Only Jaehee was left to reply to.

 

_(13:00) I don't know if you've already talked with all the other members, but this is how you send texts._

 

_(14:15) jaehee thank u for being such a sweetheart. also for the help._

 

_(14:18) Oh! Of course :) I will explain anything you need!_

 

 Lunch was nice. He hadn't seen his friends in a while, so he appreciated their contained chaos. They got greasy fast food from the court, Jin Soo and Tae groaning as they realized they would inevitably break out, but let themselves appreciate the crispy fries. 

Mina asked Tae if he wanted a ride to the apartment. The thought of all the cameras inside the apartment made him nervous about bringing his best friend to that place. Or even nearby. He excused himself and dialed Seven's number, praying that he would answer.

 

_"You've reached God Seven-Zero-Seven! What can the Defender of Justice do for you?"_

Tae laughed.

"Oh wise God Seven Zero Seven, I have a question for you."

_"What is that, my dearest disciple?"_

"My friend, best friend really, wanted to know if she could give me a ride home. I would love to say yes, because I'm not a walking distance, but you know, I need my dear Defender's permission." He heard Seven humming as he thought, imagining him stroking his chin.

 _"Well,"_ he stretched out the word.  _"They can drop you off, but don't tell them which apartment, okay? It's a secret. We don't know what the hacker will do to your friends."_

"Thank you so much, Seven! I really didn't want to take a cab or something." He heard a laugh on the other line.

_"It's not good to be so lazy~! But I'm not exactly one to talk. Is that all you needed?"_

Tae pouted.

"Why? You want to get rid of me already?"

_"You're distracting me from my work, Tae Kyung. You're a bad influence."_

"Funny you should say that, Seven."

_"So mean! Maybe you should walk back!"_

"You can't see me, but I'm pouting right now. If I let you call me Tae and let you worship my freckles, will you let me get a ride back?"

 _"Tempting... Hmm... I'll take that offer! I don't think you'll be able to handle my worship, though. But a deal's a deal, right?"_ Tae fought off a blush he knew that Mina would notice, willing his cheeks to cool down.

"A deal's a deal. I'll be waiting for the worship, okay God Seven?" He heard a groan from the other line.

_"Terrible! You are terrible! Yoosung won't stand a chance! Zen might, but Yoosung will definitely not. I don't even want to think about how Jumin and Jaehee will fare."_

"What about you, Seven? Will you stand a chance?"

_"We'll see. Goodbye, Tae~"_

He only laughed in response. Mina looked over at him as he hung up, a smile still on his face.

"Did you get permission?" She teased. He stuck his tongue out but nodded.

 

The ride back to the apartment was a mess. His friends were a mess. It was a wonderful mess, though. Mina wasn't a _terrible_ driver, but she wasn't the best. Definitely not the best. Far from the best. She didn't have road rage, but Soo Mi and Jin Soo did and they were chaotic from the backseat. Tae just laughed as he was slammed against the seat, Mina slamming on the brake.

Jin Soo groaned and rubbed at where the seatbelt had dug into his shoulder.

"Jesus, Mina. How the fuck did you get your license?" Tae turned around in his seat.

"I didn't see you volunteering to drive, so are you in any position to talk?" Jin Soo leaned forward but was jerked back by Mina's braking. She giggled and looked over at him through the rearview mirror.

"Mina! Seriously! Why is a nine-year-old even in the front seat?" Tae rolled his eyes.

"I'm eleven, so shut the fuck up." Soo Mi cackled and hit the back of Tae's seat.

A chime went off and he saw that Zen was online. He joined him in the chatroom, but didn't say anything yet. He had some questions about how popular Zen actually was. He had never heard of Zen before, but then again, he didn't know a whole lot about the theater scene. He knew Mina was into musicals, so if anyone were to answer his questions about Zen, she was the best person to ask.

"Hey, Mina. You like theater right?"

Her face lit up and she turned so fast, he almost heard her neck snap.

"Yes! I have the aux chord around here somewhere." She began rummaging through her things, taking her attention off the road. Jin Soo protested loudly and Tae grabbed hold of the steering wheel, laughing as she realized that she was, indeed, supposed to be driving.

 

_**ZEN** has entered the chatroom._

**_Tae Kyung_** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Oh, Tae Kyung._

_**ZEN:** I just finished my rehearsal and came home._

_**ZEN:** I just took a shower. Finally, I can breathe._

_**ZEN:** I didn't like today's weather. It rains here..._

_**ZEN:** If your weather is different from where I am, then we must be pretty far apart._

_**ZEN:** We rehearsed in the basement today and it was so humid I thought I was going to die._

_**ZEN:** Headache..._

_**ZEN:** Tae Kyung? Where are you? :(_

_**Tae Kyung:** o shit sorry i was talking to my friend and wasnt paying attention_

_**Tae Kyung:** did you have fun tho?_

_**ZEN:** What were you talking about that was so important?_

_**ZEN:** But, yes! I don't have a piece I'm working on, so I just focused on my vocals today._

_**ZEN:** I wish you could hear me sing._

_**Tae Kyung:** ur narcissism is already out of hand, so don't let this go to ur head..._

_**Tae Kyung:** but i was actually talking about you. _

_**Tae Kyung:** i wish i could hear you sing too._

_**ZEN:** I'm not surprised~ I am a wonderful topic of discussion~_

_**ZEN:** It's a joy singing for someone else._

_**ZEN:** I guess I'll have to practice extra hard_

 

"Yes! Zen is super popular! I think he's performing soon, so we should go see him! It's not far away, but it would take like half an hour to get to his local theater. Unless he's coming here."

 

_**Tae Kyung:** jesus this is scary now. rika set some high standards_

_**ZEN:** Haha. I understand._

_**ZEN:** Everyone talks about Rika to you, so you must be pretty tired of that._

_**ZEN:** Don't be stressed. Just do what you can do._

 

"He hasn't been involved in any new works lately, but he might be doing some of the other shows he was involved in. I'll look into his shows. I'm so happy you're getting into musicals, too."

 

_**ZEN:** I'm going to grab some food now, Tae_

_**ZEN:** Tae Kyung._

_**ZEN:** Did you eat?_

_**Tae Kyung:** haha u can call me tae if u want. its a nickname. seven calls me that too._

_**Tae Kyung:** yeh i got some lunch w my friends ^^_

_**ZEN:** Good. It's important to eat well._

_**ZEN:** And... I'll call you Tae more often now. Can't let Seven outdo me. I do prefer babe though~_

_**ZEN:** Let's talk again._

_**ZEN:** Oh, and also...._

_**ZEN:** This is a photo I took while I was at practice._

_**ZEN:** [image]_

_**Tae Kyung:** jfc zen_

_**Tae Kyung:** look at me, my name is zen, im super fucking hot and i flirt easily with everyone_

_**Tae Kyung:** ugh_

_**ZEN:** ;)_

_**ZEN:** See you later, Tae ^^_

_**ZEN** has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** im suing u for emotional damage._

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

 

Yoosung was calling him. He sounded so cute over the phone. Tae only smiled slightly as he turned away from the chaos. Mina took note of this, her eyes drifting from the road once more.

 _"Oh, you picked up right away!_ _Hello? I'm Yoosung Kim! Yoosung with the black star in the messenger is me. Do you know who I am?"_

"Of course I do. The one who gets embarrassed easily~ The extremely cute one? The blond that I can't resist?"

_"Ye-yeah that's me. Now I'm embarrassed. Tae Kyung, why do you do this to me?"_

"I like it."

_"I actually called because everyone was suspicious of you in the beginning... And it kept bothering me. Didn't it bother you?"_

"There's very little that could bother me. It was a strange situation that led me to being there, one that I can't talk about right now, but surely another time."

_"Why?"_

Tae took away his hand that had been covering the mic and let Yoosung hear his friends. It was perfect timing, too. Mina was swerving too much, and Jin Soo was threatening to call her mother. Soo Mi was just hitting Mina's shoulder and pouting. Mina cackled and took her hands off the wheel for a few seconds, leading to a screech that Tae had never heard escaping Jin Soo's mouth. Mina's laughing got louder and even Soo Mi had begun cracking up at him.

"It's kind of chaotic right now. Plus I don't think Seven would want us talking about it while there are other people so close to me."

_"Yeah, I guess that's a good point. I just want you to know... I trust you. Regardless of what everyone says."_

 There was a bell on the other line and Yoosung said goodbye quickly, explaining that it was the school bell, but could he call Tae later? Of course, he could. Most definitely.

 

He had been taking a nap when the chime went off. As soon as he had gotten back to the apartment, but even then, they had only let him sleep for an hour. He was tired of this already. Jesus. The good thing was that it was Seven. He liked Seven.

 

_**707** has entered the chatroom._

**_Tae_ ** _**Kyung** has entered the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** oh shit whaddup!!!_

_**707:** Hey babe~_

 

Oh. He wanted to play like that? Fine by him.

 

_**Tae Kyung:** babe~ i've been waiting for you here~_

_**Tae Kyung:** been missing you~_

**_707:_ _omg._ **

_**707:** That was a bit disgusting just now. _

_**707:** Ur hard to beat... Tae... ugh_

_**707:** Even I can't handle it._

_**707:** Can't believe someone beat me... T_T_

_**707:** lolol_

 

_**707:** To be honest, I found something cute about u._

_**707:** The password for ur online shopping mall account and ur email account_

_**707:** are_

_**707:** the_

**_707: same._ **

_**707:** It's so cute... lololol_

_**Tae Kyung:** for such an incredible hacker, you really miss out on the tiniest details, seven_

_**Tae Kyung:** ;)_

 

Tae liked their banter. 

It was over quite quickly as the talk of Rika began. He knew that her death had been painful and he understood that his presence just made her absence even more noticeable, but he knew that Rika wouldn't want them to be so upset. She sounded like such a positive person.

 

_**707:** If only I could give up my life to get her to come back..._

_**707:** It would be nice if only I could do that._

_**707:** She did more good to the world than I would ever do._

_**707:** If it weren't for Rika, I wouldn't be here right now._

_**707:**  [image]_

_**Tae Kyung:** she's beautiful. really, she is._

_**707:** This is..._

_**707:** a photo of me lolololololol_

_**Tae Kyung:** seven jesus christ why_

_**707:** >_<_

_**707:** I don't like talking about depressing and serious things. I hope there's only happiness._

_**707:** R u smiling at my photo?_

_I hope u r ^^_

 

_**707:** But what I'm worried about..._

_**707:** is the possibility that u r in danger._

 

Tae Kyung wasn't someone who was easily scared. He had grown up in such a pleasant environment. One that had accepted him the way he was. He loved horror movies, even if they gave his imagination awful ideas. It wasn't fear though. He saw the way that people stared at him when he walked into the fancy business settings. He was uneasy with the way they whispered about him, but that wasn't fear.

Fear was looking around at this unfamiliar apartment and seeing cameras in strange places. Fear was being warned not to look into the drawers and keep his distance from Rika's old office but not given an explanation. Fear was being here, being needed, but being essentially useless. He was terrified of this place. Someone had brought him here. They obviously knew who he was now and where he was staying. He took a shaky seat on the couch from the pacing he had begun doing.

What was he even doing here? What right did he have to come into these people's lives and twist everything up? Why was he still here? What was the point?

He felt so overwhelmed by these questions he had been ignoring. It had only been a little over half a day. How was he supposed to keep going like this?

 

_**707:** If anything happens..._

**_707: please come to this_ ** _chatroom._

_**707:** Even though I can't be the knight in shining armor to protect u_

_**707:** I want to be able to tell the knight who the villain is._

 

He couldn't let them know. He couldn't show them. They trusted him with this. He couldn't tell them how terrified he was.

 

_**Tae Kyung:** aw, seven~ you would be such a handsome knight in shining armor~ i would be honored to be rescued by you~_

_**Tae Kyung:** but thanks for all this. really._

_**707:** I'm the one to thank u for listening to me._

_**707:** Peace out~_

_**707** has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

 

He dropped the phone next to him and then rubbed at his face with his hands. It was still swirling through his head. The thoughts. The doubts. They made him feel itchy and he wished he could scratch them off of him. He wished he could peel them off of him, as if they weren't a part of him now. 

Tae Kyung had often wished for independence.

But he had never wished for this isolation.

He felt an incredible, overwhelming need to see someone. To see Mina or Soo Mi or Jin Soo. He wanted his sister or his mother. He just needed someone to anchor him. He just needed someone.

 

* * *

(A/N: real quick,, lemme just explain this part. ok so seven is gonna tae beginning to freak out and based on ur preference,, like u, the reader, he's gonna call someone. i will write out each scenario for each member, but its basically ur choice. i was just gonna do seven calling tae, but then i was like... what if... all of them??? ok, got it? u choose who calls tae!!! sorry if they get repetitive or something i am v uncreative fight me

* * *

 

**Zen.**

 

Seven had texted him, knowing that him answering calls during his work outs was rare. 

_Can u please call Tae? God Seven Zero Seven senses something strange!_

He had rolled his eyes, but looked her contact regardless. He hesitated before calling, but knew that Seven wouldn't tell him about it unless it was serious. Or a prank. He would kill Seven if this was a prank.

There was a soft sniff from the other line, making Zen freeze, forgetting that he had doubts.

_"Zen? What's up?"_

Her voice was so soothing. It wasn't too high pitched, but nestled into a pleasant medium. She sounded concerned. She was worried about  _him,_ when she was the one who was crying.

"Princess, what's the matter?" He sank down the nearest wall and pressed the phone closer to his ear. She laughed weakly.

 _"I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I thought you were calling me babe, by the way."_ Her tone was teasing, but he could still hear it. She was trying to hide something from him.

"Babe, you get all the nicknames. All of them. I'm an actor. I can tell when someone isn't being honest. You don't have to tell me what's wrong, but..."

_"But?"_

"I actually didn't have another thing to suggest. Tell me about your day, princess."

 _"Hearing about yours would make me feel better."_ He smiled.

"Well, if you insist."

_"Of course I do."_

Gradually, the sadness faded from her voice, but Zen stayed on the floor and she stayed on the line. And they just talked.

* * *

 

** Yoosung. **

 

_"Yoosung, if you don't call Tae right now, I will knock you down to last place in our LOLOL server!"_

That was enough to have Yoosung hanging up on Seven and quickly dialing Tae Kyung. They had just been on the phone and she seemed fine in the chatroom that he had missed because of class.

_"Hello?"_

"Tae Kyung! Are you okay?" He heard her soft laugh and walked past a girl who was approaching him with a small bag.

 _"I'm fine."_ Her voice was a bit shaky, but she didn't sound too bad.

"Are you sure?"

She sighed and her voice went quieter.

_"I'm scared."_

He understood. God, of course, he did.

He whispered back reassurance and he could hear her crying on the other side of the line. He missed that class, but it was worth it. He would rather be sitting on a bench outside of his school, missing class, not playing or thinking about LOLOL. He would prefer this.

Because she needed it. She needed someone who would just be there, which he could relate to. He thought back to when Rika died and when V had locked himself inside his own body and still hadn't returned. He thought of all the times he reached out to the other members. He thought of just needing someone. He would be there for her. Always. Whenever she needed it.

* * *

**Jaehee.**

 

She normally wouldn't take Luciel seriously about calling Tae Kyung, especially after seeing the way that they joked together easily. It made her doubtful, but she liked Tae Kyung so far. So she called Tae Kyung, but didn't drop her work. She would just check on her new friend without taking a break.

But she couldn't. She locked herself in a restroom stall and shut her eyes as Tae tried to tell her that she was fine.

_"Honestly, Jaehee, I'm okay. I promise"_

Jaehee wasn't a robot. She had feelings, though she did her best to not let them interfere with her work. She could tell that Tae Kyung was distressed, but if she didn't want to talk about it, then that was fine. Jaehee understood hiding feelings more than anyone else.

"Would... Would you like to talk about Zen?"

There was laugh, one that was fuller than the weak ones Tae Kyung had offered earlier.

_"Please, Jaehee. Let's talk about Zen."_

There was a smile on the other line. Jaehee pretended like she didn't hear the way that Tae Kyung's voice shook or her answers sounded slightly off. Jaehee pretended like she wasn't dying to know what was wrong. She hated not being able to do anything about it.

"Let's go see Zen perform together someday, okay? It'll be great!"

_"Anything with you will be great, Jaehee."_

"But it'll be extremely great because it'll be Zen!"

When she exited the stall, her coworkers stared at her, puzzled. It was obvious she hadn't actually gone to use the restroom, but she had taken a while. Mr. Han had exited his office and was looking at her desk strangely. She ignored his questions and continued working where she had stopped. He left her alone and she stopped typing, smiling as she saw Tae Kyung send her a _thank you_ text for the links to Zen's best performances.

* * *

 

**Jumin.**

 

Assistant Kang had alerted him that Luciel was insisting that he call Tae Kyung. He had complied, mostly because he knew what Luciel was capable if he didn't obey.

_"Jumin, I swear I'm fine. You don't need to send me pictures of Elizabeth the third!"_

"Do you not appreciate them?"

_"I do. I like her. She's very beautiful. But, Jumin, I'm fine."_

"Your voice broke on that last word. You don't sound fine."

There was a sigh and a snort.

_"You really don't know how to let things go, do you Jumin? Send the damn pictures."_

Jumin ignored the language because he could tell that Tae Kyung was most certainly  _not fine_ , but if she chose to lie about it, then good for her for not allowing her emotions overtake her. 

He sent many pictures of Elizabeth and listened to Tae Kyung laugh as she received them.

_"She's very beautiful, Jumin."_

He thought of her freckles and her pretty eyes and her smile and her hair.

"Yes, she is, isn't she?"

He wasn't sure who he was talking about and he wondered why the thought of Elizabeth and Tae Kyung both near him brought him such a strange feeling.

* * *

 

**Seven.**

 

He couldn't just watch and do nothing as Tae had her head in her hands. He couldn't even appreciate how cute she looked today because he was too distracted by the way her hands were shaking. Her back was rising in erratic breathing and he was worried. He meant what he said when he told her that he wasn't a knight in shining armor, but seeing her like this... He couldn't just stand by. Metaphorically, of course. He was sitting down in front of his computers.

He was about to call someone else, anyone else, but she looked so frightened. He shut his eyes and thanked himself for not putting in audio. 

He dialed and watched her hand shake more as she picked up.

_"Seven, hello."_

"Beep beep. Seven Zero Seven has detected sadness!" Her head snapped up and she looked around the room. He noticed that she was glancing at the cameras.

"Not that one. No, not that one eith- Stop! That one." She gave him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

 _"I didn't know you were actually using the cameras."_ Watching her lips move along with the shaky voice broke his heart even more.

"What's wrong?" She shook her head and he noticed the tight way she was biting down on her lips.

"Do you want to talk... You know... About it?" She laughed, a laugh that was too much breath and not enough happiness, but it was a laugh he was willing to take.

_"Not really."_

So they didn't talk about it. He made jokes and attempted to cheer her up. He ignored the work that Vanderwood had threatened him to do, because this was far more important.

Before they hung up, Seven stopped her goodbyes.

"I have a tragic backstory, too. I am always willing to hear anything you want to tell me. I can be serious, too." She had avoided looking at the cameras, but now she looked back up at them and gave a less transparent smile.

_"I'm just scared. This is all terrifying, but it'll be fine. I'll be fine."_

Seven understood now and he told her that she could still count on him. She nodded seriously and promised to tell him if anything else came up.

"Okay, if you're sure you'll be okay... Then I'll let you go. Goodbye, Tae."

_"For someone who says they aren't a knight in shining armor, you sure know how to rescue a princess in danger... Thank you, Seven."_

She hung up and disappeared into the bedroom (that had no cameras). He watched the screen anyway and leaned back in his chair.

Interesting.

He let her words play through his head while he worked, smiling whenever he caught a glimpse of the cameras.

Smiling whenever he thought of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here we gooo (side note,,, i got roasted by my best friend bc of how slow i update and how often i start new works sighhhhh end me... unrelated... i started doing the after stories... i already did one for zen that's in the new series!! please give those some love too!! they're shorter than these chapters, so those are gonna get written when slow updates are among us)
> 
> i lost a lot of stuff after the first chat which made me v u p s e t bc i had to rewrite and i was a n g r y but whateverrrr
> 
> im changing up the format of the chatrooms to see what i like best.  
> we'll see.
> 
> im doing deep story rn and i can't depend on these texts for casual story texts!!! idk what im gonna do!!! kill me!!! im probs gonna make up texts sigh
> 
> do u guys even want texts? or just want the ones i make up? do u want them frequently? many questions i just want ur opinions
> 
> ive never called seven in any route?? so idk how he answers oh well fight me
> 
> *skips dialogue bc copying everything is just... too much...*
> 
> im already @ 3k words and i still have so many chatrooms to do... so its gonna be pretty chatroom heavy chapter. one of the other male mc fics i read have one chapter per chatroom. would yall like that better? it would mean more frequent updates, but they would be shorter. maybe more detail, but it would take longer to finish all the routes. i wanna hear yall's opinion
> 
> the tiny detail is... pretty obvious... butSEVEN DOESNT KNOW YET he'll find out soon in casual route. idk about deep story yet lolol
> 
> *pulls a phone call out of my ass bc my poor bb needs some reassurance OK tae is freaking out bc he's so young and he doesn't know what to do since this is so out of his control and seven has access to cameras,, even tho he doesn't explicitly say he uses them until later on. i feel like he would still check up on tae from time to time, just in case, ya feel?*  
> at this point, i did some math in my head, and i decided to cut this chapter in half yet again. bc im at 4k, which is close to 5k, which is my limit for chapters on here, so im cutting it in half. there will be 3 parts to the first day, bc lets face it, yall need something. i am terrible and yall need something to read!!! so ill finish the day in a diff chapter... my plans for this fic r messy already... brb
> 
> these notes get real messy bc im writing them as i write the chapter, so it might no be clear what im talking about.  
> do yall want me to indicate what im talking about in some sort of way?  
> i ask so many questions i apologize im just desperate for validation
> 
> *pretends that this is the first time zen calls mc in canon and ignores all comments about it*  
> *does the same for jumin*  
> jumin's is super short bc i actually like his first call w mc, so i want it to be as short as possible so he can properly introduce himself in that one
> 
> i was gonna do one more chatroom in this chapter, but i realized w these calls, it's probably enough to hold you guys off for a little bit longer, right?
> 
> using she/her for tae is so weird omg
> 
> ok that concludes this chapter!! its almost 6k words!!! we got to 17:00 approximately! ik yall have been waiting patiently for this, so thank u so much for the support. comments pls!!! they make my day and inspire to write.  
> and please give me feedback, i want u guys to be a part of this too!  
> *i edit the chapters sometimes but i always miss stuff (i promise ill get all my mistakes someday!)*


	4. first day pt3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the final installment of the first day.  
> it only took a month  
> an incredible amount of swearing, but you should be used to this by now. tae ain't canon mc.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip my exo fic bc i have absolutely neglecting that one  
> sorry for slow updates  
> i have v little motivation and no muse,, so im just bs-ing all of this  
> im on seven's route rn and its almost done,, yall tae is not gonna put up with this im literally so angry  
> seven u r gonna be killed by tae he does not have time or patience for ur shit
> 
> anyway,,, enjoy!!!  
> (im still working out the formatting for the chatrooms,,, pls ignore any typos,, ill reread 20 million times after posting and fix them!!!)

Tae wasn't going to lie. He felt really good after that phone call. The bedroom was calling out to him to take a nap. Naps were becoming a regular occurrence here and he was starting to feel like a child. Whatever. He deserved some rest. Crying always made him sleepy.

 

He shouldn't even be surprised. The chatrooms waking him up were a normal part of his life now and it hadn't even been a day. Jesus. He missed sleeping for more than a couple hours at a time. What was wrong with these people? Should he plan a sleepover and drug them so he could catch a wink? 

 

_**Yoosung★** has entered the chatroom._

_**Yoosung★:** Today's the day that Tae Kyung joined the organization._

_Usually, at this hour, I would have been playing games... but I couldn't really calm myself down._

_I want to talk more about_ _Tae_ _Kyung._

**_Tae Kyung_  ** _has entered the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** whoa yoosung_

_take me out to dinner first, im swooning so bad_

_you gotta unlock my tragic backstory first and that's not until level 15_

_since you like playing games, it shouldn't take that long ;)_

_**Yoosung★:** Haha yes!_

_**Tae Kyung:** wow i didn't expect that to work_

_**Yoosung★:** I'm actually ranked in the top 100_

_**Tae Kyung:** oh ur talking about lolol _

_**Yoosung★:** **Not just any ranking, but in the world ranking!**  
_

_Oh!_

_I just understood >//<_

_**Tae Kyung:** hahah so easy~_

_**Yoosung★:** I do want to know more about you._

_Like what your interests are, what you do..._

_**Tae Kyung:** the same as any 18 yr old_

_we out here discovering what it means to make mistakes_

_wanna be my next mistake, yoosung~?_

_**Yoosung★:** Tae Kyung!!!!_

_**Tae Kyung:** lololololol_

_im just playing with you~_

_mostly ;)_

_**Yoosung★:** You're 18, then? You're younger than me._

_**Tae Kyung:** should i call you oppa then~?_

_**Yoosung★:** No! _

_Well..._

_This is embarrassing >//<_

_**Yoosung★:** I think all the organization members are thinking the same thing._

_**Tae Kyung:** "all the organization members" _

_there's 6 of you, chill, ok?_

_**Yoosung★:** If you could do what Rika used to do, we'd get to host parties again!_

 

_**Yoosung★:** Do you feel pressured because of everything I'm saying?_

_**Tae Kyung:** no comment._

_but i do want to help,,, so there's that_

_**Yoosung★:** You should know that you helped just by appearing._

 

_**Yoosung★:** I think about how I can enjoy every moment in life. It's such a tragedy to not feel happy during happy times. I know everyone is hoping to host the party again, but if you're unhappy during the process, then I don't think it means anything._

_**Tae Kyung:** thats a rlly positive way of thinking._

_i feel a lot of admiration towards you_

 

_**Yoosung★:** There's a pretty important showdown today.  **Wish me luck so I can win!**_

_**Tae Kyung:** win for me, oppa~_

_**Yoosung★:** O-oh!_

_Uh_

_Yes I_

_will win_

_Yes_

_**Tae Kyung:** just go!_

_**Yoosung★:** Yes! I am_

_going_

_**Tae Kyung:** do you want me to leave first?_

_**Yoosung★:** That would be_

_Helpful thanks_

_**Tae Kyung:** so cute~_

_okay, ill leave first_

_try not to stare when i walk away when we meet in person ;)_

_**Yoosung★:** Tae Kyung!!!!_

_**Tae Kyung:** ;)_

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

_**Yoosung★:** You'll be the death of me._

_Ah! I'm so embarrassed!_

_**Yoosung★** has left the chatroom._

 

Tae almost bad for all the teasing, but it was so easy to mess with Yoosung. He was so precious, how could he resist?

His phone vibrated from a text and he laughed as he saw it was from Yoosung. He laughed even harder when it was just a bunch of crying emoticons.

 

_(18:07) yoosung, i know you can't resist me and my charm, but don't you have a game to win_

 

_(18:09) Did you have dinner yet? >//<_

 

_(18:10) not yet_

_(18:10) im not exactly craving food right now though ;)_

 

Tae wondered how long it would take Yoosung to reply to his text. He loved flirting with him so much, especially since his responses were so amusing. He had barely locked his phone when it lit up with a phone call from Jumin. A faint smile appeared on his face.

_"You picked up right away."_

"I wasn't occupied. What would be the point of letting it ring?"

_"Good point. I thought I should properly introduce myself to our newest member. I am Jumin Han."_

Tae smiled as he laid sat up on the bed. It was time to eat, but he would wait until they hung up before heading to the kitchen to see if there was anything even in there or whether he should go buy groceries.

_"I'm sure you're glad to talk to me, but don't get too excited."_

"Too late, Jumin. I am very excited. If you wait like 5 minutes for me to find a karaoke version, then I can sing 'Excited' by Luhan to show you how excited I am."

_"... Do you have any questions? I can answer one."_

"What do you think of my voice, Mr. Han?"

_"Do you want me to judge your voice? I didn't want to go that much into details, but I'll listen. Please talk again, but slowly."_

_Jesus Christ._ This guy had the hottest voice he had ever heard in his entire life. He could melt into the bed and die, but he would die the happiest he had ever been. Maybe he shouldn't have joked about being excited earlier. Karma was here and it was starting to bite him in the ass. If he was gonna go down,  _fuck,_ he was going down swinging.

"As you wish, Ju... min... Han... Nice and slow is how I like it." He couldn't keep some of the whininess out of his voice, not at a moment like this. He knew he sounded a bit breathy and it was lower than what a girl should actually sound like, but screw that. 

Jumin cleared his throat and Tae hoped he was as flustered as he was.

_"I didn't expect that. You're quite bold, aren't you? You surprised me just now. But you shouldn't say things like that. It isn't very proper."_

Jumin proceeded to give him a full analysis of his voice, which both turned Tae on and off, because damn it, he wasn't expecting Jumin to be so emotionless, but it just made him want to get Jumin's attention even more.

 _"But your voice is nice. I like it."_ Tae let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.

"I like yours, too. Call me often, Jumin Han." Jumin hummed on the other side and if Tae was a cat, he would be purring.

 _"I think I can listen to it longer._ _"_ He had to be doing this on purpose. He had to be.

They talked a bit longer, Tae flirted a bit more, and Jumin ignored his advances in a way that made Tae try a bit harder.

_"Ask me another question. I have a little longer before I arrive."_

"How old are you, Jumin?"

_"Twenty-seven."_

"Jumin, you're so old."

_"Old?"_

"Yeah, like a wrinkled old man. Like a raisin."

_"... A raisin?"_

"The first dried fruit that came to mind. Doesn't take away from my point."

_"You can't be that much younger than me."_

"I'm eighteen. Try again." He heard Jumin's breathing stop for a second.

_"... Eighteen?"_

"Mhm."

_"Ah..."_

"That's what I thought. Are you home yet?"

_"Ah, yes. We just arrived. This was not a bad time. We'll talk later, yes?"_

"Of course. Who else will teach you about the modern era?"

_"Tae Kyung-"_

"You should call me Tae. It's very modern to have nicknames."

 _"Tae?"_ He hummed in response and Jumin chuckled.  _Chuckled._ He was so old, someone, help him, please. This was way out of Tae's league.

_"Very well. We'll talk later."_

 

 

_(18:20) Tae Kyung!!!!!!!!!_

It was about time.

 

The phone chimed again while Tae was walking back to the apartment from the store. He had bought some pasta and salad ingredients. He wasn't exactly great at cooking, so he held off on meats of any sort. He was fine with getting his protein through other means. He considered reaching into his pocket to take out his phone, but honestly, he didn't want to rearrange the delicate balance of bags. Besides, while this was a pretty safe part of town, he hadn't been able to shrug off the feeling of paranoia that came along with the knowledge that there was still a hacker out there who knew where he was. He was wearing a face mask because honestly, getting sick was not a thing that needed to happen. Not the time or place to have to watch his health. His eyes were scanning the people around him, trying not to stare at the people who kept their gaze on him for longer than a split second. He just focused on getting back to the apartment and not letting his paranoia consume him. It was a long walk despite the distance not being that long.

Once he had arrived safely(? was he ever safe? he tried to ignore these thoughts), he checked the chatroom and noticed that it was Zen and Jumin, however, they seemed dead set on ignoring each other. Tae rolled his eyes. _Children, honestly._

 

_**ZEN** has entered the chatroom._

_**Jumin Han** has entered the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung** has entered the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** oh boy, this is gonna fun._

_**Jumin Han:**  Tae, you're here._

_**ZEN:** Hello, Tae._

_Why do I feel so sentimental today?_

_**Jumin Han:**  Do you even know what sentimental means?_

_**ZEN:** Isn't it... being excited and anxious at the same time like a teenager?_

_**Tae Kyung:** oh honey bunny_

_you sweetheart_

_**ZEN:** Aw babe~_

_**Jumin Han:**  Not exactly._

_**Tae Kyung:** it means you express your emotions excessively compared to others_

_**Jumin Han:**  It means you become sensitive._

_Yes, exactly._

_I can guess the reason behind that._

_I say guess, but I actually mean I know._

_Before you ask why, I'll answer you._

_It's because of Tae._

_**ZEN:** Yup. That's true._

_And don't call her that!_

_You don't deserve it_

_**Tae Kyung:** hey you're both pretty. no arguing here._

_all of you can call me tae. it's my nickname._

_**Jumin Han:**  See, Tae says I'm allowed to call her Tae._

_**ZEN:** Ugh._

 

 

_**Jumin Han:**  If Tae Kyung can't handle Rika's work very well, then she's good for nothing. Just like Zen._

_**ZEN:** Don't say that about her._

_And don't say that about me either!_

_**Tae Kyung:** i thought we had something, jumin_

_i thought we had a moment earlier_

_**ZEN:** If you want to do Rika's work, then you do it. If you don't, you don't._

_**Tae Kyung:** that doesnt sound like a smart idea_

_**Jumin Han:**  To be honest, if she doesn't do Rika's work, then there's no reason for her to be in this chatroom._

_Then V will tell 707 to deny her access to this room._

_**Tae Kyung:** look, i've said it before._

_im gonna do my best_

_See, I'm even typing properly to show how genuine I'm being. I've made it this far. I had my mental breakdown. I'm fine now. I will do my best._

_however, i sense that this will not be the last time i have to say it, so what's the point._

_im a good person, what did i do to deserve this_

 

 _**Jumin Han:**_ _I_ _want you to do this job with a sense of responsibility and awareness._

_**ZEN:** I think you're giving her a hard time_

 

_**ZEN:** The director wants to get dinner with me_

_I already ate T_T_

_I guess I have no choice but to go since he basically controls me_

_**Jumin Han:**  lol_

_**Tae Kyung:** ur slang is getting good, jumin. making me proud, old man_

_**ZEN:** Lol!!!_

 

_**Jumin Han:**  Goodbye for meow._

_**ZEN:** Ugh._

_See you later, Tae~_

**_ZEN_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 **_Jumin_ ** _**Han** has left the chatroom._

 **_Tae_ _Kyung_  ** _has left the chatroom._

 

Tae hadn't felt this lonely in a long time. He could usually talk to his sister or his mother, even his father if he wasn't too busy. It was starting to get late and after seeing his friends, he was starting to be a bit homesick. Maybe he could visit his sister tomorrow. But she was working and he wasn't supposed to miss home yet... But he did. He was scared. He hadn't even been eighteen for that long. He had been out of school for a few months.  _Fuck._ He was tired. This was just... Tiring. He was supposed to be stressing out over what he was going to do about his higher education.

This was not in the planning he had drilled into him. His sister had given him endless amounts of college and university pamphlets for different choices he could make. He had found it overwhelming, but now he wished he had chosen to apply for a school, any school.

He missed his family and it had only been a day. The food he had just eaten felt like lead in his stomach and he fought hard to not throw up. 

He was tired. He was definitely not up to participate in the next chatroom. Chances of him having to defend himself were high and every time he had to repeat himself, he was a little less convinced. He let the conversation happen. It was Jumin and Jaehee, and while he liked talking to them at certain points, they were also the people who believed him in him the least. As if he had chosen to come here and fuck up everything. What the fuck was he still doing here?

Whatever. He would have to face them at some point. Better now than never.

 

_**Jumin Han:** About hosting the party._

_I was wondering if you'd be against it_

_so I wanted to have a long conversation about it._

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _I am not against hosting the party.  _

_**Jumin Han:** You aren't?_

_**Jaehee Kang:** No. And you could have asked me through the phone._

_All you had to do was call again._

_**Jumin Han:** I hear your voice every day at the office. I'm kind of tired of it._

_**Jaehee Kang:** Oh, I see. Are you?_

**_Tae Kyung_** _has entered the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** oh yikes_

_bad timing?_

_*whispers get rekt*_

_**Jumin Han:** Hello Tae._

_**Jaehee Kang:** Tae Kyung, you're here._

_**Jumin Han:** Assistant Kang is the most robot-like person I have ever worked with._

_**Jaehee Kang:I'm human.** _

_**Jumin Han:** Right. Since I pay you._

_**Tae Kyung:** oh jeez. i do not envy you, jaehee._

 

There was talk about business. He zoned out to focus his breathing. It was all irrelevant. He could just walk out. The thought relaxed him slightly, before remembering that while the RFA would maybe let him leave, he didn't know anything about the hacker that had brought him here. 

 

_**Jaehee Kang:** I support the party itself._

_But that does not mean I fully trust Tae Kyung. Regardless of how fun I think she is._

_**Tae Kyung:** w/e jaehee. it's all water under a bridge. a huge bridge with a puddle under it, really. don't expect too much if it floats ur metaphorical boat over my puddle._

_whoa lets move on from this talk about ur boat and my puddle, im starting to get all hot and bothered_

_**Jaehee Kang:** Um_

_Okay..._

_You'll do what you can anyways, and the result will correspond._

_**Jumin Han:** I am not expecting too much._

 

_**Jumin Han:** Oh. I'l have to visit your place tomorrow. _

_**Jaehee Kang:** My... place?_

_**Jumin Han:** Yes._

_**Jaehee Kang:** My house?_

_**Tae Kyung:** this sounds spicy._

_**Jaehee Kang:** I'm sorry but what time do you plan to come?_

_**Jumin Han:** After midnight?_

_**Tae Kyung:** oh~ extra spicy? no invite, i'm so jealous_

_look i'll even do some sad faces_

_T_T_

_see how sad i am?_

_the answer is very_

_**Jaehee Kang:** -_-_

_**Jumin Han:** it's just business stuff._

_**Tae Kyung:** thats what i would call it too ;)_

 

 

The chatroom hadn't had anything interesting really. Nothing extremely memorable. Jumin had sent him a text after they had left asking what  _spicy_ meant, to which Tae had responded with a simple  _;)_ that Jumin had not understood.

Tae decided to return to the bedroom. It was the only place without cameras (not including the bathroom, obviously), and while that wasn't exactly comforting, it was the most relaxed that he would probably get. 

He knew that it wasn't healthy to act the way he was in the chatroom, but flirting and innuendos were the only coping mechanism he had. How else was he supposed to act? He couldn't be freaked in the chatrooms. Fear was ammunition in politics and he would not give in. Jin Soo had always told him to fake it 'til he made it.

_Jin Soo._

He reached over for his phone and opened up the groupchat, noticing that Soo Mi was sending them pictures of her dog.

 

 **dat meme:** [image]

 **dat meme:** he was so excited about that bee costume ugh mina needs to stop coming over and infecting my precious baby with her bee-ness

 **dat meme:** seriously what is u p with her obsession with bees

 **bae kyung:** bees are disappearing ok we need to raise awareness

 **dat meme:**  D:

 **dat meme:** i shouldve known u would show ur face the second i started talking shit

 **bae kyung:**  that's my best friend ur talking about b

 **bae kyung:** or should i say

 **dat meme:** dont do it

 **bae kyung:** b e e 

 **dat meme:**  ugh

 **dat meme:** i wish i had one of those

 **dat meme:** a best friend

 **dat meme:** not a bee

 **bae kyung:**  u made me feel sorry 4 u

 **dat meme:**  good

 **dat meme:** thats my evil plan

 **dat meme:** pity ---> letting ur guards down ---> mina will finally be my best friend

 **dat meme:** also i finally learn ur netflix password and fill ur list with anime with terrible plots

 **bae kyung:**  keep dreaming and keep ur hands off mina she's too good for u

 **bae kyung:** also how dare u i thought we were friends

 **dat meme:** >:)

 **bae kyung:** ur emoticons r dumb i think u should fuck right off

 **dat meme:** stop attacking me i came to share pictures of my dog

 **daddy's boy:** bees r disappeariNG SOO MI

 **dat meme:** LET ME LIVE

**bae kyung has changed the group chat name to 'save the bees'**

**daddy's boy:** as it should be

 **bae kyung:** hey unrelated,, i rlly love u guys

 **bae kyung:** like a lot. ur my best friends and i just

 **bae kyung:** appreciate you guys so much im so happy ur all in my life

 **bae kyung:** soo mi, god we fight so much but i never mean it. i love you so much and i would do anything for you. thanks for being there for me when i need it the most. even if ur comforting is just being a bitch

 **bae kyung:** jin soo, jfc i love you so much even though you get urself in the dumbest situations. i cant believe u arent an anime character, like u would either be part of a harem or accidentally make 200 ppl fall in love with you i cant believe ur a real person

 **bae kyung:** mina, god. you arent even here. but you are my best fucking friend. i would chop of my dick for you if it meant you could find true happiness within yourself, mina. im so grateful for meeting you and all that you've done for me.

 **bae kyung:** i love u guys

 **bae kyung:** <3

**bad b(ee) has changed the group chat name to 'min tae kyung defense squad'**

**bad b(ee):** i don't have any words left but i would like you to know that im cryin tae kyung you are a fucking god send i love you

 **dat meme:** <3 we love you too, numbnuts

 **daddy's boy:** you're stuck with us forever. #1 fans right here, ok tae?

 **bae kyung:** <3

 

He felt much better after that. It was the recharge he needed. Just a bit more before he was ready to deal with the RFA for undoubtedly, a night full of chatrooms.

_(21:00) i know i don't say it enough, but you're the best._

_(21:00) at your job, at being the perfect daughter, and at being the best god damn sister i could ever hope to have_

 

_(21:15) You're right, you don't say that very often._

_(21:16) Don't let my PA catch me saying this..._

_(21:16) but u bet ur ass im the best hell yeah who do u think i am. momma aint raised a lil bitch_

 

_(21:18) i fucking love u so much_

_(21:19) I should hope so._

 

 

 _ **ZEN** has entered the chatroom._ _  
_

_**ZEN:** Tae, are you sleeping yet? _

_She must be asleep._

_I still can't figure out what kind of person you are... Once I do, it'll be easier to see whether or not you'll pull off Rika's job._

_Can't believe you're a girl~_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _has entered the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** hello zen_

_**ZEN:** Hi._

_I thought you'd be in bed._

_**Tae Kyung:** i mean,,, technically i am. but im not sleeping yet._

_**ZEN:** Too early for that?_

_**Tae Kyung:** definitely. im fresh outta the womb. can't catch me sleeping in early._

_**ZEN:** I think I'm going to be up all night thinking about you lol_

_**Tae Kyung:** you're so smooth_

_like slightly melted butter on a warm pancake being spread using a heated knife_

_so smooth_

_**ZEN:** Do you usually go to sleep late?_

_**Tae Kyung:** thank for sparing me that embarrassment_

_**ZEN:** I'll circle back to it at some point. Your metaphors could be improved._

_**Tae Kyung:** my metaphors are fine. [leave my metaphors alone.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqSTXuJeTks)_

_**ZEN:** How did you insert a link?_

_**Tae Kyung:** the determination to meme._

_but yeah, i do tend to go to sleep late ig_

_im fresh out the womb, remember?_

_**ZEN:** How could I forget?_

_I go to bed pretty late too._

 

_**ZEN:** Tae._

_How do you feel about getting involved in all this?_

_If I were you... I would have said no._

_**Tae Kyung:** i think... it's out of spite that im still here_

_i... i did consider just leaving._

_**ZEN:** Really?_

_**Tae Kyung:** yeah. but i hate the distrust you guys have in me. _

_so i will prove my worth._

_**ZEN:** I like your honesty. I'm sorry that we made you feel that way, though. But if it meant you staying, then maybe not as sorry. I wish you were staying for a better reason._

_**Tae Kyung:** yeah, so do i_

 

_**ZEN:** To be honest, I'd like to meet you in person._

_**Tae Kyung:** ooo~ getting spicy in here again_

_**Tae Kyung:** what would you do to me~_

_i mean, do with me~_

_;) oops i keep messing up_

_i mean do when you meet me_

_**ZEN:** Spicy certainly seems like the right word._

_It depends on what you want._

_Since I'm an actor, I can act out anything._

 

_**ZEN:** You should go to bed early._

_**Tae Kyung:** okay oppa~_

 

He felt a bit weird doing this, but hey, who was he to kinkshame? Calling them hyung would make it too obvious. He wasn't sure whether he wanted to reveal his actual gender yet.

 

_**ZEN:** Good girl._

_You're so cute~_

_Call me oppa all you want._

 

_**ZEN:** If you... feel nervous too..._

_I hope you look at this picture and it helps you._

_[image]_

**_ZEN_ ** _has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** you're too cute, zen_

_the entirety of the rfa is going to kill me_

_my poor heart_

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

 

His phone didn't stay off for very long, as  Zen called him. Unfortunately, Tae wasn't expecting the call and rejected it by accident. 

"Ah, shit." He dialed Zen's number and resisted the urge to hit his forehead.

 _"Tae, hello! Did you have something to say to me?"_ Tae pulled the phone away from his ear and confirmed he was calling the right number.

"Yeah, you just called me? I was checking." He heard Zen made a confused noise.

 _"Oh, uh I guess I called by accident."_ His laugh made Tae smile.

_"But hey, while I have you here, do you want to talk? You have any questions?"_

Tae asked him about the other members and resisted the urge to snicker at the obviously biased answers.

_"It's been years since I've dated and I'm super lonely. I'm perfect. How about it? Are you interested now?"_

"You'll have to try harder than that, honey bunny~"

_"Ah, you're so cute, Tae."_

"I try."

The rest of the call was pretty much Zen bragging about himself, so it was nothing extremely worth taking note of.

 

 Tae was allowed 40 minutes of quiet from the RFA before someone opened another chatroom. There were so many chatrooms. He didn't know if he would be able to have a life if there was this frequency of chatrooms. His sister lectured him about using his phone less and he couldn't see any positive way of explaining the situation without her exposing the whole thing to their parents. Jumin Han would not benefit from the exposure, especially with his high status in the business world.

Jesus. This was messy.

 

_**Yoosung★:** I can't believe I'm talking to the new member_

_**Tae Kyung:** yoosung, we've talked so many times today wyd smh_

_**Yoosung★:** I still feel dazed! I can't even focus on gaming!_

_**Tae Kyung:** damn i got you shook_

_**Yoosung★:** I have so much on my mind because of you..._

_**Tae Kyung:** aww, yoosung do you like me~?_

_**Yoosung★:** >//<_

_**Yoosung★:** It might be because I am a coward and I want to feel Rika through you._

 

Oh, fuck no. Yoosung was not going to compare him to a dead girl. Yes, he understood that Rika was an incredible person and she must mean the entire world to these people, but he was not going to let himself be compared to her. Or even be seen as a replacement. Tae would let it slide this time, but he was not going to let Yoosung make a habit of thinking of him as a replacement for Rika. Over  _his_ dead body.

 

_**Tae Kyung:** yoosung, this is making me feel weird_

_**Yoosung★:** Oh. Is it because i kept talking about Rika?_

_I'm sorry._

_When time passes, I'll realize that you and Rika are complete strangers to each other._

 

_**Yoosung★:** Even tomorrow... you could escape Rika's apartment..._

_Delete this app._

_and never talk to us again._

_I would really miss you if that happens._

_Please... don't abandon us._

_**Tae Kyung:** i don't think i could._

_even if i wanted to_

_**Tae Kyung** has left the chatroom._

_**Yoosung★:** Oh..._

_I wonder if it was something I said?_

_I hope I didn't offend Tae_

_**Yoosung★** has left the chatroom._

 

_(22:43) I wasn't trying to, but I hope I didn't pressure you or anything T_T Just know that I only want the party to be good! T_T_

 

_(22:45) look, it wasn't the best thing to hear and i understand you have good intentions. but you have to understand the situation im in and the absolute shitstorm i have endured today._

_(22:47) im just a lil stressed out rn. dw too much about it but also im getting enough of that from jumin and jaehee, so i would appreciate the rika comparisons to stay at a minimum_

 

_(22:50) I'm sorry T_T Thank you for being so kind and calm despite all of this. I hope Jumin and Jaehee back off a bit._

 

_(22:52) yeah, so do i_

 

 

Tae was barely starting  _Stepmom,_ pulling out more tissues as a chatroom opened again. He wondered if it was worth pausing for. Whatever. He would participate and leave quickly like last time if it got too intense. He hoped his emotions would chill out tomorrow so he could show the RFA how cool and collected he could be so they could have a little faith in him.

 

_**Jaehee Kang:** Isn't it pretty late?_

_**Tae Kyung:** it's movie time, jaehee.  
_

_get lit_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I'm glad you came, though._

_I wanted to talk to you._

_**Tae Kyung:** im irresistible, no one escapes my charm_

_how can i help you, jaehee?_

_**Jaehee Kang:** As you well know..._

_everyone dearly hopes to hold the party._

_It seems that you have two choices._

**_You escape that place and go back to your daily life, or you stay there and do what you can._ **

_**Tae Kyung:** yeah ive though about that_

_**Jaehee Kang:** _ _I... hope that you choose the latter._

_**Tae Kyung:** theres a lot of contradiction going on here_

_i totally get it though, and obviously im going to stay, but i wish all of you would quit making me feel like shit for being here. it's not exactly motivating._

_how many times do i have to say im going to make the best of this terrible situation_

_..._

_i'm sorry._

_it's been a long day and_

_i am tired_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I... did not voluntarily join the organization either_

_but I have never regretted it._

_I hope you do not either._

_**Tae Kyung:**...._

_thank you, jaehee._

 

 

_**Jaehee Kang:** It may not be fun chatting with since I'm a woman.._

_but I hope you do not avoid me too much._

_**Tae Kyung:** jaehee_

_i think that women are the most powerful beings in the entire world_

_there is a reason we name storms, war machines, and nuclear bombs after women_

_there is a reason that the patriarchy tries so damn hard to put a woman down and forces her to believe her place is beneath the men_

_there is a reason that we even have the quote "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned"_

_women are the source of life and they can do anything if they put their mind to it_

_never, and i mean never think less of yourself, jaehee._

_you are stronger than any of the males in here._

_do not downplay your power_

_ever._

_**Jaehee Kang:** Oh._

_I am a bit flustered now._

_Thank you, Tae Kyung._

_You are... peculiar, but I really appreciated that._

_I'll leave now, but have a good night._

_**Tae Kyung:** bye jaehee._

_kick some ass tomorrow_

_**Jaehee Kang:** Yes, I will definitely try to._

**_Jaehee Kang_ ** _has left the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung:** good._

_fuck the patriarchy._

_you're too intelligent to think like that._

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 

Tae thought of his sister and her badass personality and the way she ruled their family business. She had raised him along with his parents, and she, along with his mother, had shown him that it was not just men who could make a difference. His father had shown him to rise above the others, but his mother had shown how to be modest with the power he held over others. He had seen the effects of these different teachings in his sister, and seen it in himself when he was desperate. He had witnessed the change between the sickly sweet version of his sister that came out when trying to get a deal with another business to the razor smiles and poisonous words when she was enforcing the contracts that held no loopholes for others to exploit. He knew that his sister was more than her business personas, but he knew that in their society, his sister has to prove her worth. She had to prove how serious she was, despite what people would think of her after.

And it angered him to think that Jaehee would belittle herself when she was clearly incredibly intelligent and capable of great things, especially if she had to put up with Jumin in a working environment. He would try his best to make her realize her worth.

 

_(23:20) Thank you for what you said before, Tae Kyung. I really do appreciate it._

_(what Tae Kyung would not know was that Jaehee had taken a screenshot and smiled until her cheeks hurt everytime she unlocked her phone and reread the message from Tae Kyung. her past hadn't shown her the support she had wanted, but it was better late than never, right? Jaehee was grateful for it, regardless.)_

 

_(23:24) anytime you need encouragement, i am here for you._

 

 

As he settled back, he thought back to how the first day had gone. It was kind of a mess, but it was... it was for a good cause, right? He sure hoped so.

After he had started up the movie again, he realized that Seven hadn't been very active in the chatrooms. He had no doubt that Seven was busy trying to solve this hacker problem. Tae wasn't much, but he knew that everyone deserves support. Every single person in the RFA deserved support.

 

_(23:30) hey god seven! i hope you have a good night and make sure to keep in touch. how else will we designate a time and place for you to worship me?_

 

_(23:35) My lovely disciple!! I will defeat the villain so I can carefully show your freckles the love they deserve!_

_(23:36) Don't go to sleep too late! Don't be like me!_

 

_(23:38) sure thing, seven <3 please take care of yourself_

 

He just hoped that he would be able to finish the movie before he was interrupted again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tae in the chatroom is basically what i think when im participating bc MC doesn't ask the real questions and also she doesn't talk when i wish she could  
> tae's tragic backstory is being developed,, but it really isn't that tragic,, im not gonna use mental illnesses or terrible life experiences, or anything of that like, as a plot device, okay that's fucked up
> 
> *sweats bc i realize how awkward the phone call is gonna be if u picked jumin for the call in the last chapter* uhhh just... go with it????  
> lets pretend that jumin didn't properly introduce himself for the plot and for maintaining it somewhat canon 
> 
> *sweats even more bc i was projecting my love of jumin han's voice into tae and this is supposed to be the first day damn it he can't touch himself so early in the story, tae keep it in ur pants*
> 
> tae is kinda spoiled, ok? his family is rich and he has literally never worked a day in his life. while he knows how to function in theory, cooking for himself is not something he excels at, so he will stick to simple stuff. he'll start growing up and maturing as the series continues.
> 
> EXTREMELY UNRELATED OK  
> so zen just called me after the last VN for the 9th day for seven's route, and he got hot after trying to give me the sex talk??? did i accidentally turn zen on by implying that seven is sexier than him?? wot in tarnation
> 
> i would apologize for how much tae is talking about his feelings and inner emotions,,, but it isnt talked about enough and im not rlly sorry!! i shit a lot on how shallow mc is,, but i do,, u kno love her bc shes super positive all the time (for good endings at least). BUT tae is my sweet child who i brought into this world and i love him so much and he deserves character development damn it
> 
> speaking of endings,,, im only gonna do good endings as part of the main fic,, but if yall want to see tae in some of the bad endings,,, let a boy know and ill definitely consider it (as a separate part in the series?? lmk)
> 
> i channeled my inner dave strider with jaehee's boat and tae's puddle,,, i dont rlly know what happened but,,, i cant bring myself to delete it
> 
> im only @ 2.5k and we only have a few more chatrooms,, so uh.... i might have this one shorter??? we'll see i guess?
> 
> *looks off into the distance and realizes i could write punk!Tae's tragic backstory right now but also not really bc i would basically write a version of dave strider i hate being homestuck trash someone throw me back into 2013 thanks*
> 
> ik that there aren't rlly a lot of cameras in canon,, but yall did not come here for canon!!!
> 
> oh shit i know what tae's tragic backstory is oh my godddd i GOT IT
> 
> him being the sexuality that he is will not be the tragic backstory!!!! being part of the lgbtq+ is not a plot device. internalized homophobia maybe in the rfa, but tae is comfortable with who he is.
> 
> *realizes i jinxed myself when i started complaining about the word count*
> 
> ugh i just lost so much stuff bc my computer froze so i lost two phone calls and the most of a chatroom so i had to rewrite im angry AGAIN
> 
> that speech w jaehee is inspired by that one tumblr post that i dont have a link to,, but i have a link to an image of it  
> https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/04/0f/11/040f119c21ceaa1f78296628bd049bfa--female-names-aircraft-carrier.jpg  
> im... a bit of a feminist and jaehee deserves better fight me
> 
> i love tae and seven friendship if not in his route  
> (speaking of which,, tmrw is the 11th day for seven's route and im crying?? V's route will break me i am not ready.)  
> >NOTICE<  
> i start school very soon so that means updates will be... weird. its my last year though so less hw?? more ap classes tho so rip  
> maybe a few chatrooms per chapter, like 2 or 3 depending on phone calls  
> executive decision to base texts on the ones ive taken sceenshots of bc i cant rlly remember which stories they belong to and ill make up a whole lot more  
> emails will not be written here, but ill keep u updated on how tae is doing with them. he is a born business man!!!
> 
> and we're finally done w the first day!! onto casual story!!!!  
> comments pls, the longer the better. i respond v fast bc i have no life and i honestly do care about ur opinions!!! see u in another month!!!


	5. Casual Story: day two (00:00-08:40)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> things get emo and we all need to give tae a hug

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i found the motivation to write.  
> finally finished seven's route and too lazy to redo casual,, so uh,, no canon texts lolol i have walkthroughs for the texts, but idk if those will help  
> school starts in like 2 weeks,, so prepare for even less updates!!  
> s/o to my new friend burritollie for the lovely comments~  
> lets get started!!!

The movie was more than halfway over, and Tae felt bitter towards Jackie, resisting the urge to shut the laptop before the conflict was resolved.

"Jackie, why won't you let Isabel be happy?" He crossed his arms and pouted at the screen. The chime from his phone distracted him before he got too frustrated. He pointed at the screen and narrowed his eyes. "You win this time, but next time, a chatroom won't be enough to stop me."

 

_**Jaehee Kang** has entered the chatroom._

_**Tae Kyung** has entered the chatroom.  
_

_**Tae Kyung:** yo jaehee what up_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I'm still working._

_Mr. Han told me he plans to visit my house late after midnight_

_so I am waiting._

_**Tae Kyung:** oh yeah_

_the spicy conversation i remember_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I think he's here, I will return in a moment._

_**Tae Kyung:** oki doki_

_i guess[i'll just wait here then](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbbKh0VF-oU)_

_wait that's too american for u guys to understand ig2g_

_**Jaehee Kang:** Oh no..._

_**Tae Kyung:** _ _whats wrong??_

_**Jaehee Kang:** Mr. Han..._

_has left Elizabeth the 3rd with me._

_I think I will go crazy._

_[image]_

_**Tae Kyung:** omg shes so cute_

_but wow thats a whole lotta hair comin out of her_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I thought he had some important matters to discuss... Isn't this a bit too much?_

_**Tae Kyung:** yikes_

_yeah sounds like a bit too much_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I am used to him considering my house as a 24/7 convenience store..._

_**Tae Kyung:** u shouldn't be_

_**Jaehee Kang:** but leaving his cat with me... I really wanted to refuse._

_**Tae Kyung:** u should've_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I can ignore everything else, but the hair._

_Cat hair_

_In short **"C-hair"**_

_**Tae Kyung:** c-hair im dead_

_**Jaehee Kang:** On my carpet, my sofa!_

_The one strand I see after cleaning my apartment spotless..._

**_makes me go crazy_ **

_**Tae Kyung:** just slam the door on his face_

_any door_

_**Jaehee Kang:** What if I get fired?_

_**Tae Kyung:** jaehee, he'd be dumb to fire you_

_**Jaehee Kang:** Thank you ^^_

_**Jaehee Kang:** Have you gotten used to the organization yet?_

_**Tae Kyung:** ehhh_

_kind of_

_**Jaehee Kang:** I understand._

_..._

_To be honest, I do not fully trust you yet..._

_**Tae Kyung:** yeah you've made that real clear_

_**Jaehee Kang:** But I would have been more confused if I were in your position right now._

_**Tae Kyung:** i've been trained for this my entire life_

_it was my calling_

 

_**Jaehee Kang:** I guess I'll have to go wrestle with the cat._

_**Tae Kyung:** good luck, jaehee_

_**Jaehee Kang:** Thank you._

_Then..._

_**Tae Kyung:** bye jaehee~_

_**Jaehee Kang** has left the chatroom._

**_Tae Kyung_**   _has left the chatroom._

 

Tae sighed and resumed the movie, determined to finish the movie without opening any other chatroom or text.

 

The rest of the movie finished without any disturbances from the RFA. He was able to properly cry and mourn Jackie

in peace, laying in the dark for a few hours before Zen opened up the next chatroom.

 **_ZEN_ ** _has joined the chatroom._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _I doubt I’ll be able to sleep today with all the thoughts in my head._

_Hopefully, someone will join me soon._

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _has joined the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _zen henlo_

_whaddup boi_

**_ZEN:_ ** _What was I doing?_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _same thing_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Look at this huge pile of fan letters._

_Oh man~ I had a show last week._

_They were all sent to my agency, and I brought them back home today._

_lol_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _lol??? thats all you have to say? ur totally bragging rn arent u? i can sense it thru the screen_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Maybe a little bit lol_

_I feel good._

_Lolol_

_I guess this is all due to my hard work._

_But still…_

_so what if I have a lot of fans…_

**_I can’t get a girlfriend._ **

_The director will flip if I get involved in a scandal._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _zen im about to introduce a concept to u and its gonna b l o w  ur  m i n d_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Okay lol_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _its called,,, u don’t tell ppl_

_whoa_

_thats crazy right??? ur an actor,, u can act single_

_but w/e lmao_

**_ZEN:_ ** _If I was popular just from my acting, then it wouldn’t matter…_

_but I feel like I have a lot of fan girls because of my looks._

_All of the dan letters just talk about my looks._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ur a pretty guy, zen_

_im swooning_

**_ZEN:_ ** _You too, huh?_

_God… This face is just..._

_Impossible~_

_[image]_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _down boy ;)_

_i think you’re cute, no need to seduce me_

**_ZEN:_ ** _Haha ;)_

_But… if I get a girlfriend, there will be another problem._

_Even if I date someone right now, I won’t have time to spend with her._

_All I do is practice all the time._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _all work and no play makes zen a very dull boy_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _I’m not a boy._

_I’m a man._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _okay, a dull man_

_play with me if you want to change that ;)_

**_ZEN:_ ** _Naughty girl, you shouldn’t say things like that._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _but in all seriousness, i get what you’re saying_

_my sister doesn’t date bc of her job either_

_she’s dull too_

**_ZEN:_ ** _Still, sometimes I feel so lonely._

_I do want someone by my side to trust me and cheer me up_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _sounds like ur thirsty af_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Thirsty?_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _oh come on_

 _ur fangirls are crazy, u_ _must_ _know what thirsty means_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Lolol_

_I guess that’s true._

_Even though I’m so busy…_

_Even though I don’t have a girlfriend who can fulfill the deepest part of my heart…_

_The organization members are a huge comfort._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _yeah somehow i sense that you don’t mean that as much as you claim_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _No, really._

_If the RFA were to ever disappear… I might feel as if I’ve lost… my family._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _i can see that. it’s really sweet that you think that._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Thanks for listening, Tae._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _anytime, zen. i know i joke around a lot, but i’m willing to listen anytime._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Thank you._

_Well then…_

**_ZEN_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _it goes for everyone_

_obviously, i care about you guys._

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 

 

_(03:15) Thanks for what you said in the chatroom. I think it’s really great you’re in the RFA. I hope we get closer, since we get along so well._

 

_(03:17) no problem, zen. i’m honestly glad to be here. we’ll be real close if that’s what you want, zen ;)_

 

_(03:20) Be careful with what you say, babe._

 

_(03:21) I prefer baby girl, but babe works fine._

 

_(03:23) You’re dangerous, jagiya._

_(03:24) Too dangerous, baby girl ;)_

 

_(03:25) you love it_

 

_(03:26) I’m starting to._

 

Tae decided that it was enough flirting for the night. He didn’t want to send the wrong message, regardless of how much Zen was flirting back. It could be brushed off for a little bit, but Tae was nudging the line of how far he could take it, and honestly, it was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. Besides, he _was_ dangerous. There wasn’t anything that could happen between him and Zen in any case. Zen was too famous and Tae had to figure himself out.

It was too early to think about these things.

 

Tae finally passed out, tiring himself out with complicated thoughts swirling through his mind and wishful thinking making his rationality unfocus.

The entire point of summer vacation was to sleep in and relax, to be able to actually calm down and take a break, especially now that he had graduated. It was actually his sister’s worst nightmare for him to be lazing around, but that wouldn’t happen if he stayed in the RFA. They had him going to sleep late and waking up early. It would have annoyed him far more if he hadn’t had a month of pure sleeping in before he had received the text from Unknown and ended up here.

But here he was, being woken up at 7 am because  _someone_ decided to open up a chatroom. When he met these crazy people, he would take away their phones and lock them up so he could get a good night’s sleep.

 

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★_ ** _has entered the chatroom._

**_Tae Kyung_** _has entered the chatroom._

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _Tae, you’re here._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _zzz no im not_

 **_Yoosung★:_ ** _I was sleepy when I woke up, too._

_But I stretched a bit and now I’m completely awake. ^^_

_Did you have breakfast?_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _im not even out of bed yet, yoosung_

 **_Yoosung★:_ ** _You have to eat soon, then._

_I live by myself, so I have to cook everything T_T_

_I… tried making an omelette this morning and failed completely T_T_

_I’ll show you._

_It’s seriously bad T_T_

_[image]_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _thats so cute you made a smiley face_

_so precious_

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _R-really?_

_To be honest, it didn’t taste too bad._

_I feel much better since you said that haha_

_About what you and Zen were talking about…_

_You two are flirting a lot… Is there something there? Like, going on between you?_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _lmaooo_

_yoosung, its been like a day_

_nothing there besides a couple of bants_

_why?_

_you jealous~?_

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _What?!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _aw it’s ok, yoosung_

_oppa, don’t be jealous~_

_i’ll always flirt with you too_

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _Tae Kyung!!!!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _its funny to see you so flustered_

_havent you ever had a girlfriend before?_

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _…_

_…_

_Gah.... I got so sad I typed ‘...’ twice_

_I’m sobbing._

_Don’t do that to me._

_I’ve_

_never had a girlfriend before._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _omg_

_thats so cute_

_ur so fresh and pure_

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _What?!_

_You’re not innocent??_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _;)_

 **_Yoosung★:_ ** _You’re younger than me!!!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _im a curious person with a penchant for swooning over people older than me, what can i say ;)_

 **_Yoosung★:_ ** _I see T_T_

_I guess in your eyes, I’m just a little kid T_T_

**_So sod…_ **

**_sed_ **

**_sad_ **

_My typos tell you how sad I am._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _yoosung, never having a girlfriend doesn’t make you a little kid_

_you’re a great man, okay?_

_relationships don’t define a person or their maturity level_

_im still immature as hell and ive made a few mistakes._

**_Yoosung★:_ ** _Thank you for saying that, Tae._

_I have to take the school bus now._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ok taking the bus definitely reminds me of little kids ;)_

 **_Yoosung★:_ ** _Oh..._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _guess you’ll have to show me how much of a man you are ;)_

_catch you later, yoosung~_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 **_Yoosung★:_ ** _Tae Kyung T_T_

_Why would you say something like that when I’m about to get on a bus?!_

_Ahh I always end up so embarrassed after talking to you!_

_T_T_

**_Yoosung★_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 

Tae laughed and opened his other eye, blinking to get used to the light creeping in from the hallway. He had forgotten to shut the door last night.

“Damn it, Yoosung,” he mumbled, pressing his arm against his eyes. It was just shifting blame, really. He could say that it had been all because of the chatroom that he was wide awake, but he knew deep down that it was due to the realization that he had passed the whole night with the door wide open. He knew that having the door closed wasn’t a whole lot of protection from any actual threat, but it was something. It was some type of warning if someone was trying to get in, or maybe… danger. Maybe Unknown or something…

 _God,_ he was nervous.

And he was not getting any more sleep by the looks of it.

_Damn it, Yoosung._

Tae decided to listen to Yoosung’s advice and stretch out, yawning as he did lazy math. _Only four hours of sleep, great._

He needed some coffee. Urgently. But before he even thought about going out, he was feeling gross from not showering. He checked the bathroom for towels and wondered briefly if Rika had washed them before disappearing from everyone’s life, then slapped his own wrist for the insensitive thought. He wasn’t picky enough to deal with it, so he would just make due and then wash the towels later. He glanced at the camera at the end of the hall and raised his hand, putting it down almost immediately, feeling stupid. Seven had better things to do with his time than watch Tae walk around Rika’s apart at 7 am.

 

_(07:20) Did my dedicated disciple need something?_

 

Or, maybe he didn’t.

 

_(07:21) seven i need to tell you something now_

_(07:21) before u see me come out of the shower like i know you will ;)_

 

Tae smiled as he read _707_ across his screen and answered, pressing the phone to his ear as he leaned across the doorframe, looking back up at the camera again.

“Hello, Seven.”

 _“Tae! Is something wrong? Were you keeping secrets from me?”_ Tae laughed at Seven’s serious tone.

“Nothing wrong. I did have to keep secrets, though. I think I should confess something, Seven.” He knew it had to happen.

 _“What is it, Tae?”_ He took a deep breath and shut his eyes.

“I’m not really a girl, Seven.” There was a long pause on the other line and he checked the screen to see if Seven was still on the line.

“Seven?” There was the sound of a throat being cleared.

_“Not a girl?”_

“That’s right.”

_“But… I checked your accounts. You don’t look like a…”_

“Like a guy? That’s kind of… sexist?”

_“You’re too pretty to be a guy! And you wear makeup! It’s all online!”_

“You think I’m pretty?”

_“That wasn’t the point, Tae Kyung! Why didn’t you tell us from the start?”_

“You had already told everyone I was a girl. I don’t think they would have believed me if I told them otherwise. Besides, makeup doesn’t have a gender. You should know that material things that don’t have reproductive organs aren’t actually male and female. You showed me that picture of you yesterday, and yet, you’re still a man, right? Makeup isn’t only for girls.”

Seven made some sort of protest, although, it just sounded like he was sputtering.

 _“Okay… Fine. Thanks for… Telling me?”_ Tae rolled his eyes.

“I can’t believe you’re acting like this. What difference does it make if I’m a guy? I can still help out even if I’m not a girl."

 _“I know, I’m sorry.”_ Tae rubbed at his temples.

“This was stupid. Why did I even tell you?”

_“Tae-”_

“No, stop. I’m gonna go. I need coffee and I need to get away from here. Just do me a favor and don’t tell the rest of them. If they all react the way you do, then I want to prepare myself for them. I’ll deal with that later.”

_“Tae, listen-”_

“Promise you won’t tell?” Seven sighed.

_“Promise.”_

“Thank you.” And he hung up.

Tae went back into the bedroom, grabbing clothes to change into after he showered. He ignored the cameras and the texts as he went back into the bathroom. He turned on his music and turned it up completely, wishing he had brought his speakers with him.

Once he was showering, he thought back to his conversation with Seven. He was used to people staring too long once they realized he was a boy who liked wearing makeup and wearing not so masculine clothing, but it had felt different when he had joined the RFA. While they hadn’t exactly been very welcoming, he could understand why they felt that way. He had somehow found his way into a dead girl’s apartment with the help of someone he didn’t even know. He was an outsider and he could understand that, but they had been so… accepting when they thought he was a girl. His interaction with Seven had left him feeling numb in a way he hadn’t felt in years. In a way he hadn’t felt since before Mina had come into his life. _This had taken a dark turn._

 

His hair was still dripping by the time he had finished getting dressed and he didn’t feel like putting on anything today. He decided to just… wear sweats and a lavender long sleeve. He felt like shit. Maybe he should call Mina and force her to buy him breakfast. He needed some moral support and if anyone could help him feel better, it would be the person who had helped him all those years ago.

He picked up the phone to call Mina and bit his lip as he saw he had texts from Seven.

 

_(07:28) Tae, I’m really sorry about what I said earlier. It came out the wrong way and I don’t want you to remember me in that way. I hope you stay in the RFA even if I offended you. I didn’t mean to!_

_(07:28) I know a good place to buy coffee as a way of saying I’m sorry. I’ll even pay for it. Just… I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you._

 

_(07:45) Give me the address. I’m going with a friend._

_(07:46) I’m not forgiving you yet, but if it’s really good, then I’ll reconsider._

 

_(07:47) Thank you._

 

He received the address from Seven and dialed Mina’s number.

_“Tae, what up?”_

“I need breakfast and a hug. Can you pick me up in ten?”

_“I can pick you up in five. You better be outside when I show up.”_

“Thanks, Mina.”

 

And she kept her word. She was pulling up to the building a minute after the five minutes were actually up, but she had already been pushing the speed limit. Tae stood up straight from the side of the building. Mina got out of the car and started running towards him. Tae fought back blurry eyes and opened his arms, wrapping them around Mina tightly when she jumped on him.

“Are you okay?” Her voice was muffled by his shoulder and he nodded stiffly, breathing in the smell of her hair. She pulled away from him and squished his face between her hands.

“Let’s go, then. Do you have somewhere in mind?”

Tae pulled out his phone and showed it to Mina. She squinted and nodded.

“It’s like 15 minutes away, but we can get there in 10. Pick the music and get ready for the show of your life.” Tae smiled and unlocked her phone, having memorized the password that Mina had used for phones the moment she had confided it in him. He was upset, but he knew that nothing would cheer him up the way that seeing Mina sing the musical numbers like she was born for it.

He noticed she had some possibly illegally downloaded songs and he asked her about it. She glanced over at the titles and grinned, and though she had her eyes off the road, he felt comforted. It was something he loved about Mina, seeing her smile like that.

“After you asked me about Zen yesterday, I got some of the songs he did for performances to recommend, but then I got carried away and downloaded a bunch of them

so I could jam and sing to you.”

Tae laughed and put the playlist on shuffle, smiling to himself as Mina began to yell out lyrics, even singing along with the instrumental parts. It was enough to get him in a cheerful mood, even for the chatroom that had just opened.

 

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ Tae Kyung, hello _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ yo jaehee, how goes it? _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ Well, the cat is still here. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ how is she? _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ She is… Fine. _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Of course she is. _

**_Jaehee Kang: But my house isn’t. It is covered in c-hair._ **

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ say c-hair one more time please jaehee _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ What do you mean covered in c-hair… She only sheds 3 to 28 strands every ten minutes. _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ Did you count that? _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Yes. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ what an image _

_ jumin is such a cutie _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ … _

_ A cutie? _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ mhm he’s so sweet, to count the hair shed _

_ jesus that’s a whole new level _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Thank you, Tae. _

_ Anyways, _

_ Yoosung… has shown off to everyone here that he’s never had a girlfriend. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ that was precious _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ Tae Kyung, you flirt quite easily with Yoosung… _

_ Is there something there? _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ aw jaehee _

_ i appreciate the concern, but it’s nothing _

_ seriously guys, it’s only been a day, i don’t have some kind of plot to seduce one of you _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ I see... _

_ I was hoping that you would back off of Zen and just flirt with Yoosung. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ ;) _

_ i’ll consider it just for you, jaehee _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ He could change that status in an instant if he honed his skills like me. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ jumin has tunnel vision, i love it _

_ tell me about your skills, mr han _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ It will take around 50 minutes for me to explain, so I will not. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ i sure hope it’ll last fifty minutes _

**_Jaehee Kang: Please take your cat back if you have the time._ **

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ I would even if you didn’t tell me to. _

 

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Is my Elizabeth the 3rd doing well? _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _...I say this every time but it is not proper to leave your cat with me. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ every time?? how many times has it been? _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ I have a life of my own. _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Just consider it a part of your job. _

_ Find comfort in the money that goes into your bank account. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ oh fuck this _

_ if i wasn’t in such a good mood, i would go off on your ass _

_ my sister has a personal assistant and he doesn’t have to do that kind of shit _

_ its called having some fucking respect, jumin han _

_ you might be a big deal, but have some decency to acknowledge that jaehee isn’t some kind of robot _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ Oh… Thank you for saying so. _

_ I’m quite surprised you said all that… Even if it had some indecent words. _

_ It is difficult to accept that taking care of your cat is part of my job. Especially after hearing that Tae’s sister doesn’t make her assistant do those types of things. _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ …  _

_ Since when did you start taking sides with Jaehee, Tae? _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ since you started being unreasonable as hell _

**_Jaehee Kang: I can handle everything else but the c-fur -_-_ **

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Do not treat Elizabeth the 3rd’s sacred hair that way. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ hey shut up for a second and let jaehee talk _

_ with all the shit you make her do, she deserves to vent _

**_Jumin Han: You should be thinking of collecting them carefully to knit a scarf._ **

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ oh you’re going to act like that _

_ we’ll see if you act that way when you find out who i am _

_ let’s play later, jumin han. _

_ you underestimate me, Jumin Han. _

_ i know a lot about you, and you know nothing about me _

_ don’t you forget it. _

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _ has left the chatroom. _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ This just got interesting. _

_ I’ll have to ask Seven about her. To see if those were empty threats or not. _

**_Jaehee Kang:_ ** _ … _

_ Let’s just leave. I have to go to work soon. _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Very well. _

 

Tae was  _ pissed. Fuck it’s been a terrible morning. _

Mina, being the absolute angel that she was, noticed his mood change.

“Hey, no, none of that. We’re gonna go get breakfast and you’ll vent and we can bitch about whatever asshole that did this and if you want, Jin Soo’s boyfriend will probably beat them up for you.” He cracked a smile and looked over at her. She had a concerned look on her face and he had never loved her more.

“Let’s just get breakfast. I promise I’ll spill once we have food.” She smiled back and reached out for his hand. He took hers in his and squeezed it, endlessly grateful for her.

 

When they arrived, Tae was pleasantly surprised at how comforting the cafe looked. Mina looked excited. He was glad that she liked it. Seven owed him.

They placed their orders, but when it was time to pay, Tae got a text from Seven, telling him to  _ please wait like thirty seconds. _

The most awkward thirty seconds of his entire life. The bell above the door rang and the three of them turned to look, Tae’s eyes widening and shrinking in on himself to hide behind Mina.

Seeing Zen in pictures was one thing, but seeing him in actual person was another. He jogged up to the counter, slightly out of breath, but a smile on his face. The cashier was dazed and Mina was starstruck. But Tae… Tae was panicking.  _ What the hell was Seven thinking? They had a promise! _

“Hello, sorry about the wait. There was some traffic.” He noticed the amount due and gave them all a dazzling smile. “Oh! I have the money. Here.” He gave her the exact amount and dropped some of the bills into the tip jar. Tae grabbed Mina’s hand and pulled off the hat she was wearing. It wasn’t much of a disguise, but it was  _ something.  _ He couldn’t let Zen know. Not so fast. Now he was kind of glad he looked like a mess. If Zen was expecting a girl, pretty in pink, he was not going to immediately associate that image with the Tae in front of him. 

He just prayed Mina wouldn’t expose him. 

Zen finally turned to face him and Mina, a bright smile still on his face. He searched Mina’s face, his face falling slightly.

“You’re not Tae Kyung.” He sighed. Mina turned to face Tae, confusion on her face.  _ Oh no. _

“Yeah, of course I’m not Tae. Tae is-”

“Busy right now. She ditched Mina, but luckily I was able to get a free breakfast.” He made his voice sound lower, the confusion increasing on her face.

Zen nodded, the smile still a bit sad. Tae shouldn’t do anything. Just let Zen leave and then find a way to kill Seven once he got home. Let him go now. Leave Zen, now thanks. But… 

“Why don’t you join us?” His voice was sounding normal and he panicked as Zen looked at him curiously. He tilted his head at Tae and winked.

“I would love to, but I have to leave in like… five minutes. Not enough time to appreciate the lovely company.” Mina giggled, still a bit starstruck. Tae made a half-assed excuse to the bathroom and kept his face down, pulling out his phone.

 

_ (08:20) I am going to kill you and then dance on your grave. _

 

_ (08:21) T_T Didn’t Zen show up? _

 

_ (08:21) Why the FUCK was he there? We had a promise, Seven. What the fuck? _

 

_ (08:22) I thought he would cheer you up T_T I’m sorry. _

 

_ (08:23) Go fuck yourself. _

_ (08:24) This food better be fucking amazing or else I’m dropping the RFA as soon as I get home. _

 

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and left the bathroom, stopping as he opened the door to Zen. They had a staredown and Zen cleared his throat.

“I didn’t catch your name earlier.” Tae managed to give a sly smile, somehow.

“I didn’t catch yours either.” Zen puffed up a bit, his charm on. Tae could function in high pressure situations, this was no biggie.

“My name is Zen.” He got off on attention. Tae would not let him win, not when he had so much of an upper hand.

“Just Zen? Most people have a first and last name, you know?”

“It’s a stage name.” Tae tilted his head.

“Stage name?” Zen winked at him.

“I’m an actor. Kind of a big deal around here.” He gave a shrug that was meant to show modesty, but somehow didn’t translate well. Tae smirked.

“Never heard of you.” Zen’s smile dropped.

“Uh…” Tae fluttered his lashes.

“Sounds like a pick up line. Are you flirting with me?” Zen’s eyes widened and he shook his head.

“No! No!” Tae laughed.

“I’m joking, Zen. No need to get embarrassed. Now, if you excuse me, I have to get back to Mina.” He gently pushed past Zen, looking at him with wide, innocent eyes, taking in every detail on his face.  _ Damn, he was really something.  _

Zen watched him leave and he made sure to sway his hips before turning back to send him a wink, making Zen turn red.

 

Mina was waiting for him at a booth, holding her pastry and taking small bites out of it. He slid into the seat across from her and smiled. She held up a piece of paper with Zen’s autograph, and he gave her a thumbs up. She put it back into her bag and cross her arms across her chest.

“Why did he think ‘Tae’ was a girl?” She was glaring at him. He gestured for her to wait, turning to watch Zen leave the shop. He waved to them and Mina returned the gesture. Tae just raised an eyebrow at him and blew him a kiss, laughing as he saw Zen’s eyes widen, rushing to leave. Mina was not pleased with him. He shrugged.

“We started talking because of reasons I’m not allowed to share, and he thinks I’m a girl. I didn’t correct him. He came here because a mutual friend told him I would be here. I don’t want to pop his bubble yet.” Mina leaned back in her seat.

“I’ll let it slide that you talk to one of the actors I like, but only because I want to know what has you down.” Tae sighed.

“I was just… talking to someone, and I thought they were different. They were making me feel like shit because I don’t the image of ‘masculine’ in their book.” Mina frowned.

“I’m sorry, Tae.” He waved her off.

“It just brought back memories of how we came to be friends and I needed to be around you . I needed you to repeat what you said to me all those years ago. Please.” Mina slid out of her seat and moved Tae over to sit next to him. She pressed her hands against his cheeks, squishing them.

“Min Tae Kyung, listen to me. Just because other people have their own preconceived notions of what they think is right or wrong doesn’t mean that it should change who you are. You like things that aren’t conventional and that’s completely fine. There are bad people out there who like to do things that are bad and hurt others, but you being yourself doesn’t hurt anyone. And anyone who tells you otherwise, can drop dead.”

Tae reached up and touched the back of her hands, prompting her to let him go.

“Thank you, Mina.” She slid her drink to her and smiled at him.

“You know I’m always here for you, Tae. Always.”

They finished their sugary breakfast and when Mina suggested going to visit his sister since they were already in the city, he hugged her, lifting her up and swinging her in a circle in front of the cafe, her laugh bouncing bubbling up from deep in her.

He was just, really lucky to have Mina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was my fav supernatural episode im laughigndond
> 
> do u guys like this chatroom format? im so lazy and only like writing their names one time per messages  
> also i didn't mean to write out the entire chatrooms basically i just kept going and got too lazy to shorten w/e
> 
> srry for making tae flirt with everyone,, but its just... so easy??? plus i already made him flirt with them before and like,,, its so fun to mess with my boyss  
> jaehee wont get any actual flirting until later in her route (and even then, it won't be as intense as it is with the boys) bc her route concentrates on boosting her up and supporting her, which is not something i want to mess with using romance. plus,, in the after story,, which already in the series if u wanna check it out,,, is when tae and jaehee officially get together,,, so i cant rlly fuck w them now in the main fic, so subtle flirting
> 
> i started doing the writing in docs (as per ollie's suggestion) bc i keep losing a bunch of my writing lmao thats why updates take so long bc i always lose my writing,, and i can see how many pages it is, and wow the chatrooms are so long
> 
> (on the topic of losing my writing,, i wrote yoosung's after story that was rlly nsfw,, but when it posted, it was only half of it??? what the fuck,, so i took it down and ill rewrite it when im less angry lolol)
> 
> im shortening the chapters,, so more frequent updates,, but like,,, seeing that im spending more attention on the chatrooms and texts and stuff, so there actually not might be that much of a difference lmao. its probably gonna be 3-4 chatrooms per chapter with more details on tae's personal life.  
> hopefully, that'll be easier for both u n me, reader.
> 
> tae's tragic backstory is starting to come out whoooa
> 
> tae types normally when he's feeling negative bc ppl don't deserve his rad typing style when he's pressedt
> 
> i just realize i call tae "min tae kyung" but i call jumin "jumin han",,, uhhhh too late to change that?? tae kyung min doesn't have the same spark and han jumin dont feel right idkkkkk
> 
> srry for making jumin and tae fight,,, i promise they'll find a middle ground,, but not yet  
> definitely not yet
> 
> im gonna go ahead and assume that while mc doesn't live extremely close to the other members, bc it takes a while for her to reach those locations, BUT she could have been stuck in traffic.  
> idk what the geography is but ill go ahead and pretend like rika's apartment lives like 15 mins away from everyone (except seven bc he lives in a bunker)  
> also i know i said that tae was 30 mins away from zen's local theater,,, but lets pretend like he lives 10 mins away from there anyway,, so possibilities of meeting r high
> 
> mina is such a sweetheart i love her so much
> 
> i hope u like this chapterrrr and please leave comments i love them v much and i love talking to u guys (the longer the better pls and thank)  
> and don't forget that i edit after i post it,,, so if u see mistakes, i probs havent seen it yet, so lmk


	6. Casual Story: day two (09:00-15:15)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> tae makes a new friend and that's pretty much all that matters
> 
> EDIT: (lets ignore how unsatisfying the word count is bc its lowkey driving me crazy... actually lemme just add three words bc its fuckin dumb)  
> EDIT2: (*sweats* wait no i wanna add 20 more words so i can get it even more satisfying)  
> EDIT3: ok there we go  
> EDIT4: uh idk what happened to the chapter or why 75% of it was repeated. i fixed it, so uh sorry that it was weird. i honestly don't know what happened :o

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a long wait :-(  
> school starts in about two weeks!! slow updates!!  
> also,, yoosung's after story is up and its terrible smut but hey we all wanted dom yoosung lets not pretend

Tae’s sister met them at the front of the building and pulled Mina into a tight hug, leaving Tae to pout at them.

“You guys always do this to me. It isn’t fair.” Mina’s hand shot out and dragged him into the giggling hug.

“Okay, but I didn’t mean this either.” His voice was muffled by them, but he knew they understood he appreciated it.

His sister stepped back and opened the door for them, her assistant waiting for them inside with water bottles. Tae thanked him as he always did, running his hand along the older male’s arm and winking. He wasn’t surprised at this point, having been used to the way that Tae flirted with everyone who entered the building, from interns to the people who came in to make deals. His sister was amused every time he entered the meetings and flirted with the businessmen who were flustered by his words and his sly touches. _It’s good for business_ , she would say, smiling as she ruffled his hair, _it gives the ones we don’t want heart attacks and gives the ones we like coming back for more._ His sister was morbid as hell on the inside. He loved it.

“Assistant Sung, please take Mina up to my office. I need to talk to my brother privately. Make sure she’s cared for in the meanwhile.” Her assistant nodded and gestured for Mina to follow him.

When they disappeared from sight, his sister started walking down the hallway towards a meeting room. Tae rolled his eyes.

“Noona, you’re so rude.” She turned back and smirked at him, but didn’t stop walking. He followed her into the room, raising an eyebrow at her as she typed something into her laptop. She waved him over and he looked over her shoulder.

“He’s coming by in a few days to make a deal. That’s what _he_ told me, but his PA told Assistant Sung that he isn’t exactly punctual when it comes to these types of things. She said that he thinks it gives him an advantage over the people he’s working with if they aren’t expecting him.” Tae scoffed and his sister smirked.

“Yeah, I know. I laughed pretty hard, but not until after Assistant Sung left the room.”

“It’s so annoying that you call him ‘Assistant Sung’. He has a name.” His sister rolled her eyes at him.

“Whatever. He would be uncomfortable if I started calling him by his name. You know how weird he is.”

“If he’s so weird, why is he your assistant?” She gave him a small smile.

“Not many people can handle my many sides. He’s funny, in his own way. When he’s not crawling up my ass to find a promotion.”

“Is there even a position higher than your assistant?”

“Definitely not. And he knows this. I don’t know what he’s still doing up there.”

He pushed gently at his sister’s shoulder and she laughed.

“Anyway, I was wondering if you could be on call for when he shows up. I definitely need you to help me test the waters. I’ve heard things about him and this could get us into shit if he gets his way. Plus, a girl can only hear ‘Does Jumin Han is gay?’ so many times and not get curious.”

 

Of course it was Jumin fucking Han. Who else could it be? It was like the universe had something against him. First Zen, now the ultimate asshole. Who was next? _Wait a second._ If Jumin was there, that meant that Jaehee would probably be there. He didn’t know if he was more annoyed or relieved by this. There was three members he was going to meet. All that was left was Yoosung and Seven, though he doubted he would find Seven around here. Unless he wanted to be found.

Plus the chances of running into V were even lower than him running into Zen’s arms and telling him the truth.

 

He agreed to meet with the cursed businessman and let his sister drag him back to her office, where Mina and Tae distracted her from the work that Assistant Sung kept clearing his throat over. His sister just winked at him, but Tae knew that she had important business things to do, and pulled Mina out of the building, promising his sister that he would come visit more.

As Mina and Tae were walking around the city, Tae spotted him. _Him._ The most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

He was an Akita, which meant _literally the cutest puppy that had ever existed._

 

_(09:34) I’m getting a dog and bringing him back to the apartment._

 

_(09:37) Are you sure this is the right thing to do? I mean, a dog isn’t the best idea in our situation._

 

_(09:40) i get what ur saying but i will literally protect this dog as if my life depended on it._

_(09:41) this dog will be my child and i will never let it out of my sight if the hacker tries somethin imma throw some hands_

 

_(09:44) Tae Kyung, let’s talk about this._

 

_(09:46) [image]_

_(09:47) his name is becquerel and i love him more than i love my makeup_

 

_(09:50) Tae, that’s a puppy. Something could happen to him._

 

_(09:51) then you better take good fucking care of us, seven. i have a family there now._

 

_(09:53) This is a terrible idea, but…_

_(09:54) If you send pictures, then God Seven-Zero-Seven will grant you permission._

 

_(09:55) [image]_

_(09:55) bec and i r grateful_

 

Mina shook her head in disbelief.

“Soo Mi is going to kill you. You know how much she loves being the only who can take care of a living creature.” Tae hugged Bec close to his chest and swayed slightly.

“Mina, look at my face. Tell me how much it looks like I care.” She laughed and touched the top of Bec’s head.

“We should go buy pet things then. I happen to know the type of person you are and if you take Bec back now, you’re going to end up feeding him salad and coffee. Plus he needs toys. And leashes and plates and treats.” Bec barked his approval and Tae cooed over the soft sound. Mina watched in amusement.

“It’s nice to see you caring for another living creature. He really fucked you up.” Tae looked up and Akita wiggled in his arms.

“We don’t talk about him anymore. Or his sister. We don’t talk about that entire family.” Mina held her hands up in defense, but her smile remained. Tae couldn’t stay mad at her, so he handed Bec over and smiled at them both.

“My two loves.” Mina beamed and Bec barked happily, licking Mina’s chin as she giggled.

 

They bought enough puppy food to last a growing pupper like Becquerel and treats for every precious thing that Bec did, and toys that would ensure that Bec would never get bored. Mina rolled her eyes at Tae and Bec’s excitement inside the pet store.

“Becquerel is going to be the most spoiled dog to ever exist. Your parents are gonna be bankrupt, aren’t they?” Tae nodded and held up a chew toy for Mina’s approval. Before she could reply, Bec jumped and bit the toy, landing in Mina’s arms before he could hit the ground. Tae grinned and stood, wiping his hands on his sweats and picking up some of the toys he had already gotten approved by Becquerel.

 

Becquerel liked walking around the city with them, as far as Tae could tell from the happy tail wags pulls on the leash. Mina complained about the tugging, so Tae took over leash duty, even smiling when they had to stop for Bec to take a shit. He was precious even then. It was hard to believe that there were people who didn’t want Becquerel, even though he was such a sweet puppy. Tae would’ve kicked their asses if the previous owners had abused Becquerel.

Mina protested when Tae didn’t let her come into the apartment, pouting as she sat in front of the building, patting Bec and holding tightly to his leash as Tae went to make sure dogs were allowed inside. Once it was confirmed by the landlady, who stopped him and asked him which apartment he was asking about. She let him know that it was known by all the tenants, so she just wanted to check up on him. He gave her a careful answer, _Rika’s relatives sent me to check on her stuff, V’s just been so busy lately and it was just easier for me to come by and stay for a bit._ The lady was flustered, but agreed, telling Tae about how cute V and Rika were when she was still alive. Tae kept the conversation as short and sweet as he could, promising to stop by and have tea with her when he could, even bring Bec with him to play with her son every once in awhile.

Becquerel whined sadly as Tae walked past him and Mina, carrying up a few trips with all the pet supplies, Mina giggling at his attempts to follow Tae. When everything was finally up at the apartment, Mina gave Becquerel a tight hug and a soft kiss on his nose, letting herself get licked in a playful goodbye. Tae managed to pull him out of Mina’s grip and waved as she got into her car and drove away. Bec turned to face Tae and barked softly.

“Yes, I hear you. Let’s show you the new place.”

 

Becquerel was set free in the apartment as Tae set everything up. He followed Tae around and jumped on all the couches he could, rolling around on every piece of furniture.

“Becquerel, you’re so cute. Stay tiny forever, I’m begging you.” Bec didn’t understand his request, but he licked Tae’s hand, so Tae assumed they were on the same page.

 

Becquerel was also as photogenic as Tae was, so all the pictures that Tae took, came out beautiful. Bec was just such a good dog.

Tae’s phone chimed and he looked over at Becquerel.

“You hear that, Bec? They can’t get enough of me. They just keep coming back for more.” Bec, of course, didn’t understand this either, but he flopped his tiny dog body onto Tae’s lap and rolled around. Tae gave his head a soft rub and unlocked his phone, seeing Yoosung in the chatroom.

“We’re in luck, Becquerel. Yoosung’s bearable.”

 

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _Oh, Tae Kyung, you’re here_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _in the flesh. did u miss me?_

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _Of course!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _did you eat, jellybean?_

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _Yup I did~_

_lol I see Jaehee and Jumin had another fuss because of the cat._

_I think that cat is really living a good life._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _man, elizabeth might be spoiled, but im looking at my sweet puppy right now, and he is going to be more spoiled than that cat_

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _You have a dog?!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _yeh his name is Becquerel, but im calling him bec for short_

_look @ him_

_[image]_

_he’s perfect and if u say something bad about him, i will find u and hurt ur feelings_

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _He’s so small!_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _yes my small baby who i love_

_im going to start a pet family_

_do you want to join my pet family~?_

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _…I’m blushing_

_Will you feed me and put me to sleep?_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _obviously_

_so many treats and pats_

_all of the pats, yoosung_

_a l l  o f  t h e m_

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _Then please adopt me… lol_

_I’ll listen to whatever you say lol_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _so submissive~_

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _But Seven hasn’t showed up since last night._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _… he’s been online_

_do u miss ur bro_

_no homo obvs_

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★: No way;;_ **

**_If you get on his bad side, he’ll get you hard._ **

_I was just wondering what he was up to lol_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _sure ;)_

 

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _I hope… Rika is well?_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _i’m sure she is, yoosung_

_she’s probably smiling down at you_

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _Thank you._

 

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _I have to go inside now T_T_

 ** _Tae Kyung:_** _aw~_

_you’ll miss me, though, won’t you?_

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _Yeah! I want to talk to you more._

 ** _Tae Kyung:_** _same. you’re such a sweetheart._

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _T_T_

_Let’s talk again in the evening ^^_

**_Tae Kyung:_** _definitely_

 **_Yoosung_ ** **_★_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 ** _Tae Kyung:_** _wait the evening??_

_thats such a long time from now_

_jesus_

**_Tae Kyung_** _has left the chatroom._

 

Becquerel ran around the apartment and settled on the bed, letting out playful growls as Tae lazily waved around his toy. Having such an active little pupper was good for Tae, given how much of a procrastinator he usually was.

 

Before Tae could get up to do literally anything, his phone rang. It was interesting that the members always called immediately after he left the chatrooms. They never called him during his actual day. That’s interesting.

 

“Hello?”

_“This is Jaehee Kang, Director Jumin Han’s assistant.”_

“You don’t have to say that every time, Jaehee. I can see your name when you call. And we’re friends now, honestly you’re more than Jumin’s assistant.”

_“Ah… Yes. I will remember that in the future. I was actually calling to ask whether you had lunch already.”_

“Ah, I haven’t yet. I’ve been busy since I got home. I’ll grab something soon. Have you eaten yet?”

_“I did. I was worried you’d be skipping meals since you are alone… Please take care of yourself. I know this must be strange and difficult, but please do eat 3 meals a day. I would recommend our office cafeteria. Mr. Han specifically ordered the nutritionists to provide… nutritiously… balanced meals. I heard today they served steamed chicken soup.”_

“So nutritionists to provided nutritiously balanced meal?”

_“Yes, I… just realized how strange it sounds. Regardless, I had some documents to organize using my lunch hours. I had sandwiches.”_

“That sucks, Jaehee. I’ll make you a better nutritiously balanced meal than those nutritionists could ever make.” Jaehee laughed softly and Tae smiled, pleased with the sound.

_“These busy days, I am just thankful that I still have time to eat.”_

“That sucks even more.”

_“I suppose it does.”_

 

_“I… I go to the gym sometimes to do judo.”_

“My type of woman. Empowered and strong.”

 _“Well… I find the judo uniform very appealing. Zen played a character wearing a judo uniform once and I was so touched… I think anyone who loves art should watch Zen’s performance once in their lifetime. His eye contact, his beautiful voice, and the delicacy at the tip of his finger points!”_ Her voice went into a dreamlike state and she trailed off. Suddenly, she cleared her throat.

_“That was a bit… off topic. My point is, judo is a very helpful sport so I would like to recommend it for you.”_

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

_“Good. Oh, my break is already over. I must finish typing up this document and start on something else. I’ll call you again later. Is that okay?”_

“Definitely.”

 

An idea came into his head, Jaehee inspiring the student deep inside him. He dropped the chew toy back onto the bed, where Bec grabbed it and ran out of the room. Tae watched him leave with a faint smile on his face before pulling his laptop next to him and typing something into the search bar. He stared at the screen and rubbed his temples.

“God, am I really looking for colleges right now?” The links offered him more information about the majors, but honestly, Tae was getting a headache just at the thought of filling out applications. Besides, he had fucked up enough by not applying to any schools when he had graduated. His parents told him it was fine, but his sister had flicked his forehead and called him a _dumb cookie, what the hell, Tae, you’re supposed to go to college and get a degree, I’m giving you a year before I’m applying for you._ His sister could be scary, even with just her words. He didn’t even know where to start with this type of thing. He didn’t want to go crawling to his sister for her help, not with this. He needed something to be proud of, and he knew his family would appreciate knowing how much they had helped him grow.

The next hour was spent looking through multiple websites to comb through the course information and application requirements. Becquerel came back and rolled around in the bed before flopping his head onto Tae’s lap and whining for rubs. Tae smiled and gently massaged the top of Bec’s head, covering his mouth to keep quiet when he saw Bec starting to drift off.

His phone chimed and he glanced over, seeing Seven in the chatroom. He bit his lip. _Fuck it._

 

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: oh would you look at that_

_my bestest friend in the whole world_

**_707:_ ** _Hey Tae!_

_I see that cutie Yoosung was looking for me!_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: yeah he misses you ;)_

_if something happens, can i join?_

**_707:_ ** _A lady shouldn’t say things like that!!_

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: ;)_

_ur totally thinking about it now_

**_707:_ ** _Maybe…_

_I guess he missed me since I was too busy to log in this morning._

**_ZEN_ ** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_707:_ ** _I worked so hard during the weekend that my shoulders are soooo stiff >_< _

**_ZEN:_ ** _Stop pretending to be cute. Take those emojis away._

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: hey let him be cute. i  think seven is precious in his own way_

 **_707:_ ** _Aw Tae ;)_

_Our celebrity, Zen is here lol_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: howdy zen_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Tae, did this guy say anything strange?_

 **_707:_ ** _I didn’t lol U can look at the chat history._

_I’m innocent >_< _

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: seven plays with me through texts~_

_he doesn’t want to expose his other side in the public chatroom~_

**_ZEN:_ ** _What?!_

 **_707:_ ** _Tae!!_

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: im joking_

_mostly ;)_

**_707:_ ** _I read the messages above. Jumin must have left his cat with Jaehee again lolol_

_I feel nothing but love for that cat_

_Can’t understand what’s up with Jaehee lol_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: its different when ur asshole boss forces you to do tasks that other PAs dont have to do_

_like take care of their fucking pets_

_if my sister ever asked her assistant to take care of bec for me, he would probably do it, but that’s only bc she’s his boss_

_its literally not her job to take her of jumin’s cat_

_and ill fight him if i ever witness him giving jaehee any of that shit in person_

**_ZEN:_ ** _I don’t even like that trust fund kid coming near me. He smells like cats._

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: i  mean im pretty sure i smell like dog rn_

_becquerel is real cuddly_

**_ZEN:_ ** _Oh yeah, I saw the picture._

_He looks like a good dog, Tae._

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: the best dog. ill bring him to the party if jumin brings elizabeth_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _I never liked Jumin. And I hate cats equally._

 **_707:_ ** _lolol u still haven’t gotten over ur fur allergy? lolol_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Stop laughing. It’s serious!_

_And you do not overcome an allergy…_

_Your body doesn’t change!_

**_707:_ ** _lolololol But cats r so cute tho_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _I remember he called you a cat abuser;; Am I remembering wrong?_

 **_707:_ ** _I never abuse her~~ I just play with her._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _How?_

 **_707:_ ** _I just well~~~hug~~~her_

_and~~~ rub my cheeks on her_

_and~~ hug her_

_and run in circles_

_and I run around with her in my arms lol_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: no comment_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _-_-_

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: but relatable_

**_ZEN: Are you similar to Seven…_ **

**_707:_ ** _lol she gets me! yay!_

 

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Jumin has to bring in good people again for the party to be a success…_

 **_707:_ ** _Oh~ Yeah. That’s true._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _A lot of the people that the Director dude brings to the party_

 **_707:_ ** _I heard they have a lot of money meow~_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Don’t meow -_-_

 

 **_707:_ ** _Gahh… I got work. I have to go lol_

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: what work~_

 **_707:_ ** _U want to know?_

_But!_

_It’s~ a secret_

_ <3 _

**_ZEN:_ ** _Okay. Bye I have to leave too._

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: i’ll miss you, seven~_

 **_707:_ ** _My heart~_

_But, I do have to go._

_Get it on you two~_

**_ZEN:_ ** _What are you talking about_

 **_707:_ ** _Bye~_

 **_707_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: scandalous_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _He’s gone._

_I think he said it because I talk about being single too much._

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: maybe we should listen to him ;)_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Haha, you’re cute._

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: i  sure hope you think so._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Did you have lunch?_

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: been a little distracted by bec, so no not yet._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Really?_

_You have to eat well.._

_You’re important to us now, so_

_please take care of your health, okay?_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _: definitely, oppa~_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _You know…_

_I’m glad you’re here._

_Even though Jaehee or the other members don’t fully trust you yet_

_I don’t think for a second you could be a bad person._

_I want to stay longer, but I have to go._

_Let’s talk soon, Tae._

_Bye~_

**_ZEN_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung_ ** _: this was so emo_

_i  got a little teary eyed_

_Lmao_

**_Tae Kyung_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 

Tae looked down at his lap and pouted, realizing he wouldn’t be able to move if he wanted Becquerel to stay asleep. But it was almost 1 pm and he realized he probably needed food. Some type of substance to keep him alive. He had a child now, after all.

 

_(12:50) Just thinking about cats makes my nose itch…_

 

_(12:51) hypothetically,,, if i wore cat ears and purred on you,,, would you still only get tingles on your nose?_

 

_(12:54) Naughty girl! You shouldn’t say things like that to a man._

 

_(12:55) don’t think i didn’t notice you change the subject, zen_

_(12:55) you aren’t as smooth as you think_

 

_(12:57) You’re such a tease~_

 

Becquerel got up at 1:05pm with sleepy eyes and Tae carried him to the kitchen. There was puppy food poured into a small bowl and human food heated up over the stove. Tae watched Bec carefully, knowing that the Akita Inu diet was pretty complicated and wondering if he was actually fit to be a parent. He just hoped Mina and Soo Mi would help him out, even his sister with her vast resources. He knew the basics, light wet food for one month, one day of fasting a week, the supplements Akitas need. He just needed some more experience with Becquerel to see how things went. At least he knew he could depend on his friends when it came to Becquerel.

They ate in a peaceful silence, Tae feeling soothed by another presence in the apartment. He was sure that if he had been alone, he would have been shaking in fear and blasting music to escape the eerie silence. He had heard that pets help comfort those who needed it, but having Becquerel nearby, he knew that it was probably true.

Sitting in the living room for an extended amount of time was something he hadn’t done before, but he was there now. He was there for an hour, watching television and nervously petting Becquerel, trusting the cameras to be watching out _for_ him, not to be used _against_ him. It was all he could do. He couldn’t be living here indefinitely and spend the whole time in the bedroom. He had to learn to trust Seven and V. They were all he had. They were the only people who knew where he was. _Yes,_ he supposed Mina knew his location, but by the time she found out something was the matter, by the time she found which apartment was his… It would be too late. Really, Seven was all he had. He hadn’t really spoken to V. If Seven didn’t have his trust yet, then V was even less likely to have it.

 

 **daddy's boy:** i should change my display name

 **daddy's boy:** im tired of ppl kinkshaming me

 **dat meme:** that has literally never bothered u

 **dat meme:** did something happen

 **dat meme:** did he say something i will come over and kick his ass

 **daddy’s boy:** nah i just want a diff display name since when r u so overprotective

 **daddy's boy:** i thought we were only mothering tae

 **bae kyung:** whoa someone sounds bitter

 **bae kyung:** is there something u wanna talk about?

**daddy’s boy >>> gin soup**

**gin soup:** tae isn’t the only with a memeful name

 **bae kyung:** jin soo, u want me to call u?

 **bae kyung:** we can get emo over the phone and have a heart 2 heart

 **gin soup:** im totally down for that

 **gin soup:** unfortunately, mina and soo mi might get jealous

 **gin soup:** mina knows ive always wanted u

 **bae kyung:** of course u have

 **bae kyung:** im excellent

 **bad b(ee):** that u r

 **bad b(ee):** hey send me a picture of bec rn i miss him already

 **gin soup:** bec???

 **bae kyung:** my pupper

 **bae kyung:** [image]

 **gin soup:**!!!

 **gin soup:** im coming over i must see this puppy in person

 **dat meme:** w h a t

 **dat meme:** you have a dog now????

 **dat meme:** since when??????/

 **bae kyung:** since this morning.

 **bae kyung:** mina was with me

 **bad b(ee):** it was after we had seen tae’s unni

 **gin soup:** u went to go see noona without me???

 **dat meme:** i mean,,, eun ha is his sister??

 **dat meme:** obviously he’s gonna visit her??

 **bad b(ee):** whoa u think ur so high and mighty that u can call unni “eun ha”

 **bad b(ee):** shes ur unni

 **dat meme:** yeah yeah

 **dat meme:** she’s never treated me with the same respect as she treats u 2

 **bae kyung:** thats my sister ur talking about

 **bae kyung:** also u were such a bitch towards her when u met

 **bae kyung:** havent exactly made up for it

 **bae kyung:** noona deserves better

 **bae kyung:** ik ur a tsundere, but so is my sister

 **bae kyung:** and im not going to choose between u 2

 **bae kyung:** jin soo, call me over skype or something and ill definitely show u how beautiful becquerel is

 **bae kyung:** mina, this is for u

 **bae kyung:** [image]

 **bad b(ee):** :D

 **bad b(ee):** but also D:

 **gin soup:** look im gonna say this since mina is too nice

 **gin soup:** but when it comes to it

 **gin soup:** tae would choose his sister over u any day

 

_(14:38) jin soo, thanks for what you said in the gc :-)_

_jini-hyungg <3: literally anything for the min siblings~ _

 

Tae decided to take a nap. In the living room. It was progress.

He was awakened by the sound of a chime, a chime he was learning to recognize even in his sleep. It had only been a day and fourteen hours. He was fucked.

But now he was fucked even more.

 

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _oh shit it’s V_

 **_V:_ ** _Are you surprised?_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _a little_

 **_V:_ ** _I apologize for not coming into this chatroom often._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _hey its fine. i’ve only been here a day._

 **_V:_ ** _I’m glad you’re so optimistic._

_Have you had any trouble continuing Rika’s work?_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _im putting in a solid effort_

 **_V:_ ** _I apologize if I burdened you further._

_I was reading all the previous messages._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _thats a whole lotta messages_

 **_ZEN_ ** _has entered the chatroom._

 **_V:_ ** _The expectations toward the party, the talk about Rika…_

_I read everything._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _even my flirtations?_

 **_V:_ ** _Ha._

_Yes, even your flirtations._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _well im embarrassed~_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Huh? It’s V._

 **_V:_ ** _Hyun. You’re here._

_I had some time to spare so I came._

**_ZEN:_ ** _It’s so weird that us three are in this chatroom._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _hi zen~_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Tae, always an honor to run into you._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _lolol zen you have noooo idea ;)_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Silly girl~_

_Did you eat?_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _mhmm~_

 

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Send pictures so we know how you’re doing at least._

 **_V:_ ** _I will try…_

 

Just when he was starting to feel comfortable in the apartment, V had to go and tell him that someone outside of the organization knew that Tae had joined. _Fucking great._

 

 **_V:_ ** _I appreciate your concerns.._

_but sadly, you cannot turn back time._

_If only we could… we’d have done everything differently._

_Hyun._

**_ZEN:_ ** _Yeah?_

 **_V:_ ** _Thanks for worrying._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Everyone feels the same way._

 **_V:_ ** _I’ll make sure to meet up to that trust._

_No matter what happens._

_I have to leave now. I have dinner plans with Rui._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _rui? the photographer??_

 **_V:_ ** _You know him?_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _yeh my dad’s hired him a few times_

 **_V:_ ** _If possible, I’ll talk about the party too. He might be able to help us._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Oh! I know him too! He said he was my fan._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _handsome zen~_

_of course he would be your fan_

**_V:_ ** _Don’t skip meals even if you’re busy. You lose everything if you lose your health._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _okay V~_

_hey v did u kno that theres a bts member that’s also named v_

_look @ him_

_[image]_

**_V:_ ** _Who took that picture? It’s very nice quality._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _a tru photographer_

 **_V:_ ** _But please take care of yourself, Tae Kyung._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _i will if u will_

 **_V:_ ** _As long as you are a member of the organization… you are like my family._

_We don’t know each other very well yet_

_but I think we will get closer as time passes._

**_ZEN:_ ** _V, that was touching. Nice of you to say that._

_V… If you leave, then all of us will leave, too._

**_V:_ ** _I know… Let’s talk later._

 **_V_ ** _has left the chatroom._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _He’s gone…_

_Wasn’t that a bit flustering?_

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _a bit_

_im glad he was worried about me tho_

**_ZEN:_ ** _Yeah, V has a kind heart._

_He’s still healing from his wounds, from losing the person he loved._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _losing someone sucks._

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Yeah. They talked about getting married._

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _oh god_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _[image]_

 **_Tae Kyung:_ ** _zen u look so ??? neutral?? v and rika look happy,, but u look upset_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Haha, I do look a bit serious._

_I really have to go now. I still have things to finish._

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _see ya~~_

 **_ZEN:_ ** _Yeah._

_I had fun talking to you._

_I’ll see you later._

 

Yeah, Tae was certain he would. Incoming call. Interesting that Zen claimed he was busy.

 

“Hey-”

_“Babe! You picked up right away! What were you doing? Thinking of me?”_

“Always. I was just hanging out with Becquerel.”

_“I was thinking of you too.”_

“Oh, Zen~ I’m swooning!”

 _“You sound so cute when you talk like that. I want to see you in person… It’s a shame. A real big shame that you ditched your friends. I did like meeting Mina and the guy.”_ Tae sat up straight.

“Oh… Yeah, sorry about that. I got cold feet. My friends can be intense at times. What did you think of them?” Zen laughed.

 _“Mina was sweet. She’s a fan, like you said. Your other friend… He didn’t tell me his name, but he seemed nice too. Very mysterious.”_ There was a nervous chuckle. _“A bit flirty, too. I would’ve loved to gotten to know him better. But… What do you think my expression is right now?”_

“Nice swerve.

 _Shh. Do you imagine my face while listening to my voice. I hope you do. Then it’ll feel as if I’m right there with you.”_ Tae remembered what it was like to be up close to him and smiled.

They talked about the party for a bit, Zen reminiscing the past parties with Rika.

“I’ll do my best. I’ll make you guys proud.”

_“I’ll support you as best as I can like a knight in shining armor! Feel free to tell me if you need anything. I’m the knight who exists for the princess.”_

“Oh, am I a princess?”

 _“Of course you are. You’re our princess.”_ Tae laughed and shook his head.

_“Anyway, I have to go somewhere for work. I’ll call you later.”_

 

Becquerel got bored of being on the couch and jumped off the couch, running off to some room in the apartment. Tae watched his little legs take him away and smiled. He was at peace, at least for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i dont always see the typos so pls lmk!!! ok lets start these notes!
> 
> i need to give her a name at some point,, eun ha probs but where do i put it in though??
> 
> that's right i am totally making them meet, where makin it happen (homestuck will always have a special place in my heart)
> 
> akitas r so cute??? look 'em up  
> https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cdn.akc.org/6_Akita_Red.jpg&sa=D&ust=1502747389697000&usg=AFQjCNFs_lmvscdgdyIT2DqOZn9ayB49Bg
> 
> tae's typing quirk is back bc he's showing that he'll go back to normal if he gets official permission to keep the pupper  
> (also this could be seen as kind of asshole behavior from tae,, but he just wants to stop feeling so alone in the apartment and he needs a dog ok he needs all the dogs)
> 
> this is totally a homestuck reference and only bc i love bec so much like he's so loyal to jade ok good dog best friend
> 
> time passes by so slowly in these time lapses sometimes im like ok where do the chatrooms come in like someone pls help
> 
> tae is going to own... multiple dogs,, if u've read the yoosung after story, then u kno that tae owns multiple dogs,, it's not just becquerel
> 
> sherlock flashbacks once a sherlockian, always a sherlockian.
> 
> the picture is of becquerel laying on top of tae, just Tae's chin visible and his hand wrapped around bec.
> 
> "nutritionists to provide nutritiously balanced meals" this was such a weird thing for jaehee to say ok i forgot she said that
> 
> ... should... should i make them meet... i want jaehee to get tae's nutritiously balanced meals...
> 
> we must remember that tae is 18,, he needs more education. i havent decided what he's gonna major in or if he's even gonna go to school in skorea or what's happening tbh
> 
> so much bec action but like... i love the imaginary world i created, so i will not stop
> 
> i did so much research on akitas and their diet and im still gonna make mistakes, but i will claim artistic freedom
> 
> there finally used her name!!!
> 
> ik im making soo mi kind of a bitch,,, but thats kind of her personality,, we'll grow to love her. we all have that problematic friend who we somehow love anyway
> 
> "honor to run into you" literally zen, u have no idea
> 
> wym kpop references?? idk what ur talking about
> 
> v has to pretend he isn't blind,, so he's pretending he can see the picture of v :-D
> 
> ok guys !! theres the chapter!! hope yall enjoy it lots bc i rlly love writing this  
> im literally living up tae's ass at this point like u cant get me to stop planning for this shit  
> i hope ur as excited as i am
> 
> annnnd im redoing zen's route,, sooooo ill have the canon texts!!! still gonna add my own in there bc i like the spiciness of tae's personality :D
> 
> ok thats it. comments pls, they help me survive. pls support the other works in the series bc im done with the first round of casual after stories,, i just need deep story and then i can do moooore after stories :D !!!!


	7. heheheheh we gotta talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *sweats* pls dont hate me

h e y its been a rlly long time,,, so we should talk about this fic

 

listen im not done with it, i promise

i still want to work on this

but my writers block has yet to leave and im just not excited to work on this bc of school and stress and i just dont have time or motivation???? so im gonna leave these works up,,, but im not gonna finish  _this version_

wgat do i mean this version??? good catch

i want to redo this fic. there are parts i like and parts i definitely dont like

the formatting is weird and i really would like to have the opportunity to change it 

im planning on replaying all the routes and play the new routes and get every ending,,, bu t that would take so much time and i just dont have that right now

i might upload new extras and just fun things that arent related to actual plot,,,, but thats just bc i love tae and ive never had an oc before so im in love with him sorry

sorry for all the times ive said ITS COMING SOON i bamboozled u im sor ry i have the next part in my docs but it doesnt FEEL right

if ur still into mm in the future,,,, then pls come by and check on me

bu u u t if not, and you just dont care about this fic, i totally get it and ill miss u

 

anyway i love u i hope u choose to stay and read the extras 

 

yours truly,,,,, alex


	8. day two 15:30-?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> hahhhhhha i dont know the time for the end of the chapter bc i havent finished actually writing it but i decided to post it as it is as an apology <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me heehee
> 
> okay so i kmow its been almost a year but !!! i got some rlly nice comments and it hyped me up enough to come back at least temporarily come back from the dead and post what i already had in docs !!! ill work on this over winter break thank u for all ur patience i love u and owe u my life <3

Tae flipped through the channels, forever grateful that Rika had cable. He wondered briefly why they were still paying for the utilities since Rika had been dead for a while. If there was actual important information here, then why wouldn’t they just move it to a different location? He supposed it was pretty safe here, where people couldn’t get in without a password… but here he was, lounging on Rika’s couch and having complete access to the sensitive content. Tae definitely respected Seven and V’s wishes that he stay away from those documents, but how did they know that  _ Unknown,  _ a person Tae had trusted when he shouldn’t have, would choose someone like him? There were people who  _ would  _ check around the apartment, or even run away.  _ Running away  _ was not an option for him. He had gotten to know these people, some better than others, but it didn’t matter. He wanted to help these people in any way he could. If staying here for some time longer meant finding a way to help them, then he would wait. 

Becquerel was still sniffing out the apartment, spending a suspicious amount of time in Rika’s office. Tae was slightly worried for him, but he honestly felt too relaxed to get up and go check on him. He would… soon. Becquerel was just a little puppy after all. But… His mom’s favorite soap opera was on and he had never missed an episode, never once. It made him feel closer to his parents when he wasn’t home, and he could imagine how his mother would react to the weird plot twists.

_ (15:30) momma, did you see that they were actually siblings?? _

_ (15:31) i can’t believe that she would do that to her own brother pls tell noona i love her v much _

 

_ (15:33) Better watch how you act around Eun Ha from now on, you know she watches sometimes. _

  
  


_ (15:35) noonaaaa i love u so much~ _

_ (15:36) pls remember that _

 

_ (15:40) Ms. Min would like me to tell you that she “smiled deviously and rubbed her hands together” _

 

_ (15:42) ty. tell my sister that i love her _

  
  


Honestly, Tae Kyung didn’t have anything to do. He was bored, finally retreating to the bedroom at 4pm. He thought about the party, feeling a bit useless while he was sitting around this place. He had never really hosted a party like this, only taking part in the high school parties when he had still been younger, forcing Mina and Jin Soo to buy alcohol for him, and Soo Mi’s older brother to provide the drugs that were requested from his weirder guests. It had been… a strange party, but Tae had been rebelling against his sister, who had started putting pressure on him with academics. He needed to realize that this was not the type of person he was. But the damage was done and he had to deal with those consequences, which included, but was not limited to, earning a reputation for someone who had connections to a drug and bee dealer and  _ The Fucking Host of the Party Who Ended Up Blacked Out in His Own Bedroom With Three Strangers.  _ Mina and his sister weren’t pleased at all with this, but Jin Soo high fived him as soon as the news had broken out into every social groups. So… Yeah, hosting the parties wasn’t really his thing, but he doubted that it was too much for him to handle. While talking to the professionals was mostly his sister’s  _ thing,  _ he  _ had  _ been raised by the same parents and had picked up a couple of things along the way. He wasn’t too worried about it, but it was still pretty crazy to think that compared to his last experience hosting ( _ “did you find a bee in your fucking beer?” “man, i was distracted by the fact that he got  _ _ mina _ _ to hang from the chandelier with a joint.” “he disappeared like an hour ago with an entire box of condoms.” “what the fuck? that asshole said i was next!”),  _ this party would probably be really classy. The type of party that his parents would likely to be invited to attend. He had come a long way.

Becquerel decided to jump on the bed, bringing Tae’s attention back to his surroundings. He smiled and rubbed Bec’s now exposed tummy.

“Yeah, I know.” Bec licked his fingers and Tae laughed softly.

“I’m glad you like it here. I still need a bit more convincing.” Becquerel gave him a head tilt in response.

“It’s a nice place, Bec, I’m with you there. It’s just a weird situation to be in. I’ll probably get used to it, though. Or at least, I hope I do.”

 

**_707:_ ** _ Tae Kyung has entered! _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ hello seven _

**_707:_ ** _ I finished work earlier than I expected~ So I feel good. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ nice fam _

_ did u see that v was in here _

**_707:_ ** _ Huh? _

**_707:_ ** _ Oh, he was. _

_ It’s been so long since I saw his face… _

_ I’m gonna forget what he looks like soon. _

_ I really hope he tells us the plans fast _

_ and we get to hold the party again haha _

_ Then so many fun things will happen~~~ _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ fun things?  _

**_707:_ ** _ For example… _

_ The company I work for right now never gives me days off… _

**_But they’ll be forced to give me a holiday._ **

_ So excited to see the boss’ face angry face. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ … forced? _

**_707:_ ** _ It just means I’m ditching work for a week without asking ^^ _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ lmaoooo _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★_ ** _ has entered the chatroom. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Hiya _

**_707:_ ** _ Howdy _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Are you a cowboy or sth? roflol` _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ yoosung~ long time no see~ _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Tae, you’re here too! _

 

**_707:_ ** _ Since Tae joined the organization _

_ we were pretty busy just talking about the party. _

**_If Yoosung stopped playing games because he was thinking about the party_ **

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ omg _

**_707:_ ** **_that says it all._ **

 

**_Jumin Han_ ** _ has entered the chatroom. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Oh. It’s Jumin. _

**_707:_ ** _ I want to give a 90’s greeting~ _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Hiya _

**_707:_ ** _ Yo, yo homie Joe. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ hello jumin _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Hello, Tae Kyung. _

_ Seven, I needed to ask you if Tae Kyung’s family really has enough influence to bother me. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ are you scared, jumin? _

**_707:_ ** _ I… am not in a position where I can reveal information about Tae. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ seven, you can tell him if he should be worried~ _

**_707:_ ** _ Hmm… _

_ Definitely a little concerned. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ esp in the future~ _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ That’s… not comforting. _

_ I’m tired. _

_ Assistant Kang! _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ u can literally see who’s in the chatroom before u enter and it’s at the top of the screen. _

_ old man jumin han has made a comeback _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ … _

_ Anyway _

_ I am calling her during working hours set by the law. _

**_707:_ ** _ And the law says that work hours are from 00 to 24, right? _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Elizabeth the 3rd hasn’t been eating anything since she came back from Assistant Kang’s place. _

_ I have to call her. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Why don’t you call her rather than going online? _

**_707:_ ** _ Since he can take care of things without hearing her voice? _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ sounds like something he would do. _

 

**_707:_ ** **_It’s a problem that Yoosung doesn’t have a girlfriend._ **

**_It’s also a problem that Yoosung’s addicted to games._ **

**_It’s another problem that Yoosung’s struggling with problems faced by the youth these days._ **

**_It’s a huge problem that Yoosung doesn’t like V._ **

**_Yoosung has so many problems._ **

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ V’s the one who gave me a reason for not liking him. _

_ … _

**_707:_ ** _ Yoosung was really close with Rika _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ We weren’t just close _

_ I am her  _ **_actual family_ **

_ Jumin got rid of his tears quickly. _

_ Even though Rika wasn’t with us anymore _

_ he got over it so soon… _

_ Managed to do his work without a problem. _

_ He’s doing even better now. _

_ Everyone got over it so fast. _

**_707:_ ** _ That is true… _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ I was connected to her by blood. _

**_707:_ ** _ Now that I think about it… _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ It was unbearable for me. _

**_707:_ ** _ Yoosung, u were really messed up by it. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ I was practically her little brother. _

_ If V  _ **_truly loved Rika_ **

**_707:_ ** _ Omg; _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ If he really considered her family… _

_ he wouldn’t have gotten over it so fast. _

**_707:_ ** _ He wasn’t… exactly well. _

_ Even now. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ … _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ when my grandfather died, i really closed myself off from my family _

_ my sister was the one people expected to be really cold about it, but it was me _

_ i didn’t talk to anyone and tried to move on as fast as i could _

_ maybe v isn’t ready to open up again _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Really? _

_ V did a lot of things I can’t understand. _

 

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Yoosung. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Yes? _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ However V dealt with Rika’s death… _

_ I don’t think it’s something for you to judge. _

_ I’m not defending V but… _

_ You have to acknowledge that V has his own way of grieving. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ I don’t know. _

_ Stopping the parties that Rika held _

_ and almost breaking up the organization… _

_ Do you think it was because he couldn’t bear to think about her? _

_ It wasn’t just that, he got rid of all traces of her. _

_ Her photos, records, everything. _

_ I don’t think there’s anything left other than the things in her apartment. _

_ If he knew the password to the apartment, he would have gone in and burned everything. _

_ V used to be… so nice… _

_ But now…  _

_ To be honest, I really hope he has his own reasons or that there’s something I don’t know and I’m just misunderstanding. _

 

**_707:_ ** _ A brother hating the sister’s husband is _

_ a cliche soap opera story _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ my mom loves soap operas and ive seen that trope like a hundred times _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ -_- What’s that _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ ;) _

 

**_707:_ ** _ I’ll go get some shut eye now. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ its so early what in tarnation _

**_707:_ ** _ I stayed up all night working till this afternoon T_T  _

_ Can’t even keep my eyes open right now… _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Got it. Hurry and go to bed. _

 

**_707:_ ** _ I’m gonna work hard and die fast. _

_ Have no desire to live long lol _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★: Whaaat??_ **

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ seven thats so depressing but rtrtrt _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ You should eat properly!! _

**_707:_ ** _ lol aight _

_ Anyways, bye~ _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Good bye. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ bye seven<3 _

**_707_ ** _ has left the chatroom. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ No desire to live long;;; _

_ But.  _

_ Jumin, you don’t eat burgers because it’s commoner food? ^^; _

**_Jumin Han: Yes._ **

_ I was educated as a child not to eat things like that. _

_ It became a habit and I still don’t have the desire to try it. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ wow u must be from a super rich family~ _

_ o wait i am too _

_ and i eat burgers _

_ they’re so good~ ur missing out~ _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ lololol you’re so cute, Tae _

_ So bougie _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ Do you even know what that means? _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ ;; _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ don’t bully yoosung what the hell _

**_Jumin Han:_ ** _ … _

_ I have to leave now. _

_ Bye. _

**_Yoosung_ ** **_★:_ ** _ Later, Jumin. _

_ I’m gonna play LOLOL to get rid of my stress. _

**_Tae Kyung:_ ** _ okay have fun yoosung~ _

_ go fuck yourself, jumin~ _

 

Tae laughed and left the chatroom, turning to grin at Becquerel.

“I could hate him so easily, but that would be much less fun than fucking around with him like this.” Bec didn’t understand, but he jumped off the bed and ran around the bedroom.

“You’re such a weird dog, but you’re okay I guess. I’m kind of a boring person, though. Maybe you need a friend?” Bec showed less signs of understanding this, but he barked happily anyway.

 

_ (17:45) Jumin said that… but I can’t understand everyone. _

 

_ (17:46) yoosung, it’s fine to not understand things. ppl grieve in different ways and v just needs to time. im sure he’ll go back to the way he was before, but rika’s deatb probably hurt him just as much as it hurt you. _

_ (17:47) they were planning on getting married, after all. i know it’s hard, and you don’t have to understand him, u just have to accept him _

_ (17:48) it’ll be hard, but hating v wont make it better _

 

_ (17:50) Yeah… I think I know that deep down… But actually understanding and accepting it won’t be easy. _

 

_ (17:51) take ur time, yoosung. just don’t be too harsh on v and jumin. everyone grieves in their own way. _

  
  


**gin soup:** hey mina u wanna be the dd for us

im in the mood to get fuckin wasted

**bad b(ee):** if we’re gonna get wasted we gotta go full out and take the fuckin train home

**dat meme:** boi i don’t think jin soo has ever been on a train. he would give the homeless ppl a house on the shore lbr

**gin soup:** ok look ur not wrong

but ur tone is unpleasant

**dat meme:** why the FUCK are all of yall trying to change me what the hell

you all knew i was a bitter fucking bitch and never gave a damn

why is it such a big deal now

u know what i can’t fucking deal with this right now fuck you

**_dat meme_ ** _ has left the group chat. _

**bae kyung:** oh jeez

i  definitely missed something

**bad b(ee):** i was here from the start and i still don’t even know what happened :(((

im gonna call her rn

**gin soup:** well

now i  _ really  _ want a drink so uh

tae have u ever taken the train

**bae kyung:** i have yes

pls go to ur nearest train stop and meet me at the usual place

i need a drink too

**gin soup:** ok omw

**bae kyung:** oki doki pls give me 1 sec while i figure out what to do w becquerel

**gin soup:** BRING HIM

**bae kyung:** boi

we r messy drunks we would lose my pupper so quick

ill ask the landlady to watch over him or something

 

“Ah, shit.” Jin Soo looked over at him as he kept trying to light his cigarette.

“What is it?” Tae rolled his eyes.

“I got an email like two hours ago and haven’t replied.” Jin Soo finally managed to light it and took a long drag.

“So? I haven’t checked my email in months.”

“It’s an important email. Like incredibly important.” Jin Soo rolled his eyes in return and took another drag, blowing smoke lazily in Tae’s face.

“Then fucking answer it. Before we get drunk off our asses and you email your nudes or something.” Tae laughed and shoved at Jin Soo slightly, causing him to stumble.

“How are you already clumsy? We haven’t had anything to drink.” Jin Soo flipped him off and laughed. Tae started typing out a response to Rui, trying his best to sound elegant. If Rui was close friends with V to the point of being the first person that was recommended to Tae for the party, then he must be a very sophisticated person. Better bullshit this, since he had absolutely no idea what the parties were like. If what he had seen from V was consistent, it was better to exaggerate the party’s actual fanciness.

“Describe your last birthday party.” Jin Soo stopped walking, Tae continuing for a few feet before realizing that Jin Soo wasn’t next to him.

“What a strange topic, but don’t get me wrong, I accept this invitation to go on and on about my latest birthday bash, which you were present for, by the way.”

Tae used these details to finish up the email, giggling to himself as he realized how spoiled Jin Soo was.

“Let’s go get something to drink before I have to listen to you go on and on then.” Jin Soo grinned and grabbed his wrist.

“I’m down.”

 

“I don’t know how he puts up with you,” Tae managed to say between giggles. “You’re so annoying, hyung.” Jin Soo pouted at him and pulled him into the train station.

“Come on, sweetie~” Tae fluttered his lashes at him, but let himself be dragged into the upcoming train, stumbling slightly.

“You’re so rough with me, hyung. Aren’t you supposed to treat me better?” Jin Soo laughed too loudly, but pushed him onto one of the seats. Tae wiggled around, snickering as people stared at Jin Soo, who had begun to twirl around on the poles.

“Sit down, hyung. I don’t have enough money to throw at you.” Jin Soo kept laughing, pausing his spins to slide down. He crawled over to Tae and climbed into the seat next to him, pressing his lips against Tae’s ears, who squirmed away at the sensation of hot breath on his skin.

“There’s a really hot guy over there,” Jin Soo looked behind them, as casually as he could, but given that he was pretty wasted, it wasn’t as subtle as he thought it was.

“ _ Hey,  _ I know him!” Tae got really excited, his mind racing with drunken thoughts.

Some sober part of his brain was probably being extremely reasonable,  _ however,  _ that was being pushed to the back of his head by the  _ it’s Zen lets go talk to him i wanna touch his hair! _

And so, Tae managed to make his way to where Zen was sitting, noticing he was listening to music, only tripped three times, unlike Jin Soo, who fell on his face.

“Zen?” His head felt cloudy, and it felt like he couldn’t think any intelligent thoughts. Zen turned around curiously, and his eyes lit up in recognition.

“Tae Kyung’s friend?” He glanced behind Tae and looked curiously at Jin Soo. “Is he alright?” Tae waved him off and focused on Zen.

“He’s fine. Or… He will be, anyway. Can I touch your hair?” Zen turned a faint pink.

“Wh-what?” Tae reached his hand out, lightly running his fingers over Zen’s bangs. Zen breath caught.

“Can I touch your hair, Zen?” His face went a bright red.

“Uh… Yes, yeah you can.” Tae smiled real wide and reached out, bringing Zen’s hair forward and running his fingers through the pure white strands.

“It’s so soft,” Tae giggled out, tugging on it slightly. Jin Soo pulled on his ankles, still laying on the floor.

“This is our stop, sweetheart.” His voice was sugary and Tae was drawn away by it.

“Okay, hyung. We need to get off soon, then. Mina should pick us up soon.” Jin Soo attempted to stand, but Tae laughed loudly as he fell on his ass. Zen watched in confusion as Tae helped him up, letting Jin Soo wrap his arm around his shoulders.

“Bye Zen!” He called out, much louder than he probably intended it. Zen held up his hand weakly and shook his head, returning to his phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "soo mi's older brother" coooould be foreshadowing towards the other male mc i have plannnnnnned maybe? perhaps? only time will tell??
> 
> tae was kind of a hoe bc lets face it hes real cute and when hes drunk, he can get real seductive ok lets just accept it
> 
> we gotta remember that tae is 18 and he's rich and he has older friends,, so tell me this isn't possible
> 
> sorry if this chatroom feels boring,, its kind of emotional and long and i didn't want to type it all out  
> i always loved this chatroom bc it was almost all of them,, but wow it was hard to keep track of who said what since i add the names when im done typing it out ://
> 
> i know it seems like im favoring zen,, but he'll meet yoosung and jaehee soon, dw dw dw


End file.
